A Late Adopter's Guide to Blogging
by
Marty Nemko © 2006
When I hear about computings’ latest and greatest,
my reflex is to turn away. I recall my first experiences with
computers: arcane commands, lost files, and, later, the blue screen
of death, offering such cheery news as: fatal error at
0000D24767694Q.
So, when colleagues told me I should have a blog,
my first reaction was, “That’s all I need: more work, more
headaches.” But this week, I decided to restrain--for the moment at
least--my reflexive aversion to cybernovelties and learn enough
about blogging to address the questions a fellow techno-aversive
might ask:
What is a blog?
It’s an online diary/journal on a narrow topic of your choosing. As
the spirit moves you, you post your musings, often augmented by
references to web pages or other blogs. You can invite readers to
post their reactions.
Here’s a blog written by a career counselor:
www.jobpundit.blogspot.com.
Why should you have a blog?
If you’re employed, it’s an easy, slightly cool
way to make your opinions known to colleagues, within and outside
your place of employment. Not only does that feel fulfilling, it
enhances your reputation.
If you’re not employed, a blog will give
prospective employers a look at the real you. (Be careful, which
side of the real you you reveal.)
If you own your own business, a blog is a credible
vehicle for promoting yourself. It’s especially likely to bear fruit
if your target audience is young, male, and technosavvy. That’s the
group that tends to search the blogosphere for on-target stuff to
read.
Of course, you can also create a blog for a
recreational purpose. For example, I have a passion for getting
publicity for community theaters. That’s a good topic for a
blog—narrow, and of compelling interest to a niche of people.
How do you set up a blog?
Even a technoplebe like me can get a blog up and
running in 10 minutes. Just go to blogger.com. By the way, it’s
free.
How do you get people to visit your blog?
As long as your topic is narrow, your blog
probably will automatically attract at least a few visitors because
blogger.com sends your blog’s keywords to the search engines. More
important, if you regularly write quality content, it will attract
search engines because of the content itself and because others will
link to you.
To drive more traffic to your blog:
Submit your site’s information to major blog
search engines and readers: www.technorati.com,
www.feedster.com,
www.bloglines.com,
www.pubsub.com,
www.pheedo.com, and
www.feedburner.com.
· Mention other blogs in your posts and—for
reasons I don’t fully understand— you’ll drive more traffic to your
blog.
· Most obvious but perhaps most valuable, invite
your co-workers, customers, colleagues at other employers, or
potential employers to visit your blog. Add your blog to your
business card, resume, etc.
What are some dos and don’ts?
