Some people don’t quite get how blogging is different from other writing. Dan Frommer does and he has some advice on how to blog better. All his points are good and he expands on them with links to examples. So, go read him. (I’m doing it this way because I really like his point number 4, which is the only one below for which I’ve included all his words.)
- Above all else, factual accuracy and attention to detail.
- Write the site that you want to read.
- Be more skeptical.
- Attribute well — the way you’d want to be attributed. Use names, link prominently, never plagiarize. Quote or paraphrase the part of an article that you need to make your point, but always with the goal of sending readers to the original site for the full story. (Some credit here to Henry Blodget, for Business Insider’s original excerpting policy in 2009. And to John Gruber, whose attribution activism is good for the web.) Aim to become as big of a traffic referrer as you possibly can — not only is that good policy, but it’s a great business asset.
- Add context.
- Be critical, but don’t be unfair.
- Care about your writing.
- Care about your design.
- Don’t be the 10th person to write the same thing.
- Try new things, all the time.
Those are all great ways to write a good blog. Then you want it to get noticed, you don’t want it to consume your life, and you want to try to integrate into the blogospheric community, or niche thereof. For all that and more, see my “How to succeed at blogging” post.
AF
