Social Media 101: Tactics and Tips to DevelopYour Business Online

Chapter 26. Basic Business Blogging Suggestions

You've decided you're going to take the recommendations of the office evangelist and start writing a blog. The word still bothers you, but you've been told that it's just like a newsletter or an article for a magazine, only faster and online. What comes next? How should you approach it? What will make the difference between a blog that people read and a blog that people ridicule? Here are some basic ideas and suggestions. None of these are rules. There are a hundred ways to do things.

ABOVE ALL ELSE, BE HUMAN

People read blogs (okay, we could argue that Google also reads your blog, but let's save that for another time). To that end, present yourself as a human. Write from a first-person perspective (use "I"), and write as if you're telling me something, not a faceless mass.

Also, be attentive to people's attention constraints.

COMMENTING IS JUST AS IMPORTANT

Remember to visit other blogs in the space and comment on stories and posts that appeal to you. Do not be "that guy" or "that girl" and reference yourself and your company in all these comments. Instead, be sure to seem human and comment on things that interest you. Commenting matters, and we know if you're part of our community by how and where you comment.

BLOGGING POLICIES

Your blogging policy shouldn't be any more complex than your e-mail policy. Look over your company's policy documents and see whether you can replace the term e-mail with blog and blogging. If the answer is yes and ...