Buzz Marketing with Blogs: Learn Blogging by Reading Blogs

Learn Blogging by Reading Blogs

I did a teleseminar for a group last night (hi, guys!) and this morning put together a short list of blogs for them to read just to get started. I always recommend that folks new to the blogosphere spend some time reading blogs to learn the ropes. It isn’t that important what the blog is about, just that you read some good ones that attract readers and comments. So here’s a quick list of blogs I think would be fun and informative for potential bloggers to take a look at for a couple weeks (keep in mind that it’s important to show variety and have a little fun while you do this):

ProBlogger, by Darren Rowse (http://www.problogger.net/)
Darren earns a living from his many blogs using revenue programs like Google AdSense, and because he provides practical, useful information. Reading ProBlogger is also a great way to keep up on blogs!

Chocolate & Zucchini, by Clotilde Dusoulier (http://chocolateandzucchini.com/)
Food lover Clotilde’s blog is exceptionally popular although Clotilde isn’t a chef or a professional foodie. People like reading her wonderful descriptions of food, and she’s been featured in the SF Chronicle, Le Monde, the Chicago Tribue, The New York Times… This is also a good example of a blog that has some additional features that are more Web site-like than blog-like.

Dooce, by Heather Armstrong (http://www.dooce.com/)
Heather writes a personal blog with a huge readership, based largely on the strength of her writing. She has the dubious fame of having been fired for blogging about her workplace a few years ago, too.

Gizmodo, edited by Joel Johnson (http://www.gizmodo.com/)
This blog for gadget freaks taps directly into our current love of small electronics. Big, big readership, and a blog that manages to sell ads. Reviews of digital cameras, speakers, cell phones, you name it.

And, if that’s not enough, go to Technorati and do a search for a topic that interests you, personally or professionally. The results returned will be for those blogs on that subject updated most recently.

If you’re ready to get started blogging, or just to try it out for a while, why not begin for free with Blogger? You’ll be blogging 10 minutes from the moment you click on this link!

It’s easy to get distracted by blogs, so as you read keep these questions in mind, and try to apply what you learn to your own blog:

How often does the blogger post?
What kinds of thing does the blogger post about?
How long are the posts?
What makes you interested in a post?
What turns you off about a blog or a post?
What kinds of posts get people to comment?
What ideas can you get for cool blog functionality and features from successful blogs?
How often does the blogger link to other Web sites or blogs?
When does the blogger choose to include personal posts in a professiona blog?

You can read any blog or combination of blogs while you’re learning, don’t be constrained by my list, which is pretty general and not focused on a particular type or style of blog. Let me how it goes, too!

Posted by Susannah Gardner on 05/05 at 10:10 AM • Blogs -- Blogging Tips