And…Post!—Slow Down Champ

While blogging is a great way to potentially reach millions of people to spread your thoughts and point of view surrounding various topics, it’s just not all that easy. You can’t just jump right in. You need to think about what you want to talk about and who you want to try to reach. Then you can hit the water!

I myself am gaining experience in blogging and I’m finally finding that now I’m much more comfortable in how I write to the online audience. It can be difficult to get started though. There are many common mistakes that people make and they don’t take the time to correct those mistakes before hitting “publish.”

Something to realize when you’re blogging is that what you are saying is going to be broadcasted over the Internet! You may think you won’t have many followers or that it won’t matter because you’re just a student, but hold your horses! Take time to think through what you want to say so you can better articulate it in your writing.

I too thought this when I first began blogging just a couple months ago. “I’m doing this blogging assignment for my J452 class at the University of Oregon. Nobody is going to want to read what I have to say” I thought to myself. I’ll admit it took a little while to gain my confidence and readership, but the only way to gain an audience is to wade into the deep end and get your feet wet!

Just the other day I received a comment on one of my posts from Chris Bruzzo!!! He’s the Vice President of Digital strategy and maintains online content at Starbucks Coffee Company. Needless, to say, I was in shock! And I may sound nerdy when saying this, but working for Starbucks corporate would be a dream come true for me! I’m currently a barista with the company and it has been one of the greatest things in my life! I get benefits and great coffee….perfect for all night study sessions. I’ve also met some of the greatest people in the world because they were also partners. Truly, I’ve made lifelong friends! Who wouldn’t want to work in Seattle for Starbucks?!! Anyways, sorry for that tangent…

The point is, people are reading. It’s how you keep those people reading that matters! People are jumping from one blog to the next online, so you have to provide good information, unique personality, and good grammar! Here are a few tips to think about before you hit “publish”:

1. Reread your post: Proofreading helps you eliminate grammar mistakes, fragments, confusing sentences, poor word choice, etc.
2. Include links: The point of a blog post is to get your thoughts out, but also to provide readers links to other information out there that expands on the topic. If you find a statistic, link it back to the source. This is also a credibility tool.
3. Provide an interesting visual: As Generation Y, and a society that loves the capabilities of the Internet, we’re always looking to be entertained. Make sure to include videos, photos, or audio to your blog posts. This makes the post more enjoyable for the readers…and let’s face it, it’s all about the readers.
4. Have a target audience: It’s important to know whom you are trying to get to read your blog. You have to write about topics that are going to grab the attention of your target audiences. You can’t just go about this all will-nilly! Ask yourself if the post matches the theme of your blog. Does it fit?
5. Really think about it: Think about if this is something that you should be posting on the Internet for potentially millions of people to see. Did you choose your words wisely? Do you sound professional or casual? Does it matter? Are there corrections to be made? Did you check for spelling and punctuation? All of these things are important to think about before sending your blog out over the Internet.

There…now get out there and start blogging. We want to hear what you have to say! Just remember to think before you post!

Photo by: DavidErickson on Flickr (8/15/2008)

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