1 Nobody will read your first few posts, if you are lucky.
Consider yourself lucky if nobody read your first few posts. It is quite plausible they are not going to be the best post in your blogging life. You can bet the format will not come out as you thought it, and that image which looked so cool will take like an hour to upload… just in front of your text.
2 Always carry a notebook.
If you blog, if you write, hey, if you do anything creative at all, you just need to carry a notebook at all times. You never know when something sparks a story. It might be a conversation, the action of a stranger, a scribbled note on a wall or just a long forgotten idea that finds no better hour to resurrect than when you are jogging. Don’t lose them again.
3 Keep format simple.
They can read your blog on an Iphone, on some other phone bought in Timisoara, Romania. They can read in a ultra-portable Asus EEE PC running Xandros, or in a 20″ flat screen. They can read it in Opera, Internet Explorer, or Firefox. They can even read it on a RSS. And they can care less about what you think the best software / hardware is.
There is no way you can format your text to appear exactly the same for everybody. However, if you keep it simple most browsers will be able to render it well enough. (And just wait until you change your theme; suddenly what looked so lovely is turned into a monster of squeezed lines and misplaced images.
So be afraid, be very afraid, or be simple.
4 Keep your writing simple
Remember that phone from Timisoara? If you write in English, chances are good that some of your readers would be non native speakers. Some could be immigrants in your own country; others might had never traveled to an English speaking country.
Hint: I learned a lot of my English reading Newsweek.
There is a more powerful reason to write with simplicity. The more complex a sentence is, the easier it is to make a mistake either at writing or reading. And how do people read blogs? Completely focused?
I rest my case.
5 The more you know, the less you have to spend.
If you are adept at CSS and HTML, the more you know about guerilla marketing the less -and more effective - you need to expend to advertise your blog and your products.
6 You don’t need to know CSS and html, but being familiarized with it helps.
No, I’m not speaking about designing a blog or theme from scratch; though it can be done. No, what I’m speaking about is far more common:
The snippet of code.
They look so great! Don’t they? A few lines of computer code designed to add some new feature to our blog -by the way limit those- or an advertisement -you might want those to earn money-. So you copy and paste them and pray that your blog doesn’t explode. It doesn’t, so another day you add one and another one, and yet another…
Then, when things finally go wrong, you have no idea of what to do.
There are some easy ways to prevent that, and I will be speaking about them next Monday in the second and final part of this series, but they all have one thing in common: learn what you are doing; you don’t need to be a master programmer, but at least to understand what could be going wrong and why.
So go, seach for a basic html and css tutorial and learn. The couple of hours invested might save you incontable frustrations.
7 Comments are blood
Comments are the life blood of a blog. They are often the only feedback you get; but not only that, on occasion the comments can become mini-posts on themselves and, some times, even better than the original post. Pat yourself in the back when you get one of those.
Comments -other than spam- have people behind them; people that you are touching, hopefully in a positive way. They need, want and deserve to be valued. Without them your blog is nothing but an electronic leaflet, a pamphlet ready to be discarded and recycled. With them your blogging becomes a community, a small network itself that gradually becomes more important than the words you write.
That’s all for today. See you on Wednesday for the final post of the Oliver Twist series regarding forgiveness.
Hi there, congratulations on a three month milestone! I’ve only recently reached mine also, and it was a great feeling. I like the way you’ve layed out this post - great tips and easy to understand and apply.
“keep format simple” is also a great tip, I’m currently trying to de-clutter my overcluttered blog! I like the clean look much better…
All the best for the next three months!
Ross´s last blog post..How far should you take an argument?
Thanks Ross,
It feels great because you know that there are so many blogs that are abandoned after a week or two.
I will take a look at your blog and see by myself
I agree with all of your points Miguel, but particularly 2, 3, 4, and 7. I always have a little notebook and a pencil or pen with me. I would be lost without them even if I were not a blogger.
As for simplification, I always worry that I am not flexing my English vocabulary muscle enough, but it makes sense to keep the level of usage at an “international” level. Also, it is easier to make a simple design first than it is to simplify an already complex blog design.
As for comments, well, I need more, but it is true that the dialog in the blog is where the site is truly built.
I like what you’ve done here. Keep up the good work and be well.
Ian´s last blog post..Does Atheism Make You Mean?
Can you believe that I have been here for two days off and on trying to post a comment. I get a phone call, a “mom”, etc.
This is some wonderful information to share. I know so many begin a blog and then just stop. It is truly a huge accomplishment to keep going. Meeting others with like interest and a common ground has helped me keep blogging and I truly believe this is why I love to visit others and comment. I have gotten to know so many neat, some crazy, unusual (some), and happy people.
I really do like your new format. You kept it simple and it is easy on the eyes. I find myself jotting down notes all of the time. That is a wonderful suggestion.
I have a problem with writing too much. I really need to cut mine down. You seem to always have the right amount. I guess that comes with being a writer. You are able to plan out what you say and you do it with style.
I am working on the CSS and HTML. Right now I am just using Typepad to guide me along.
I wish you success on your writing. I am glad you have posted for 3 months. I look forward to the next 3.
Tammy Warren´s last blog post..Let someone else pick up the slack
Hi Ian,
When I studied Roman Law I quickly saw that the best way to learn was to read the original texts themselves. The likes of Caton were amazing at being direct, easy to understand and yet use a rich style. I should probably read them again…
Hi Tammy
Thanks. As for writing too much or too few. Well it’s Góngora vs Quevedo. These two Spanish writer were bitter enemies both in and out of the literary field. Góngora loved very complex, “stylish” poems, which made a lot of references to ancient Greek myths. As for Quevedo he said: “Good if brief, better” -only in Spanish
But Tammy, if it’s too long, you can just split it in two posts. Just be true to yourself. Gongora and Quevedo lived and died. Now it’s your turn to live.
Good post. I’m still fairly new at blogging too. I really need to start working on getting a website up though, so that will be my next big project.
Hi Rena,
I see many web sites that integrate a blog as one of its regular features, so you can give it a thought.
Miguel de Luis´s last blog post..Things I have learned in my 3 months of blogging, part 1
I guess the reason I don’t consider myself a “writer” is that I have no plan. I live in the moment then write about it. I have tried the two part series and I have found that I am not patient. There is my problem.
My grandmother was a writer. She wrote for the local newspaper “opinions” and poetry. She would fall into the Gongora style of writing.
I once had a Spanish teacher that shared with our class the sonnet written by Quevedo (English name - To a Nose”) I think it is called “A Una Nariz.” In this poem Quevedo satirized about the nose of Gongora. I was in the 9th grade and do not remember all of the details. Was this during the 1600’s? Since you mentioned this now, I understand why she brought this up for us to study. I did not know that they were rivals to the point of being bitter enemies.
Tammy Warren´s last blog post..Let someone else pick up the slack
Hi Tammy,
I’m happy to see you know your bits about Spanish Literature, which is great. Too often we get in school too much about each nation particular literature and history, and too few about the universal stuff. Like if science, arts or history existed in isolation.
Oh, they were, they were, there are all kind of stories, but most are not for the ears of young children, so I will keep quiet here. Let’s just say that it involves toilet humor.
Hi Miguel. Popping over from Tammy’s blog. I laughed when I read number one. I’ve often hoped nobody checked back that far. Ha ha! Congrats on the 3 month mark!
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