B L O G P A S T O R

Blogging tip #2: Good writing style

While I may not write the best content around, here are my 2 cents’ worth of comments based on my experience as a teacher and also, from the strengths of my favourite blogs from around the world.

1. Use descriptive titlesMany people browse around blogs looking for something that interests them. By having a descriptive title, people can immediately tell what the subject of your post is about. It will also save a lot of frustration from reading entries that are totally not related to the title.
2. Write using an hour-glass styleI know this almost sounds cliche, because it has been overly emphasised in school, but it really helps the audience to understand the point you are driving at when you introduce the topic properly.
3. Readers love to skim through articles, so use subtitlesIn the increasingly hectic world, many people don’t have time to read each article in detail. Often, they would speed read by glancing at the subtitles. In addition, at times, your articles can become very long, and to help the reader focus on the main idea in each paragraph, subtitles help.
4. Use a new paragraph for every new pointThis helps you to expand on each and every idea thorougly. A common technique taught by this ex-English language teacher
5. Simplicity is the keyI think writing with a global audience in mind helps. Remember that not everyone speaks English as their first language. Write clearly and simply and you will find that you can bring your message across more easily.
6. Use pictures, diagrams, variations in colours, lists, bullets etc.“A picture speaks a thousand words.” Most of us are visual learners:-)
7. Don’t steal and all about plagarismThe point is never try to take credit for something you didn’t write, and I think that is an issue of faith. God has said that the thief is punished greatly, no matter what he steals. (I don’t know the exact Bible verse(s) but I’ll post it up when I find it). Plagarism is also a big thing in the blogging community
8. Link to other sourcesProvide links to your sources because some users may be interested to find out more. It’s also a way of giving credit to the references you have used.
9. Check and spell checkA grammatically-free and error free blog entry can help enhance a reader’s experience
10. Have fun. If you write with passion, readers can tellReaders can tell that by the time and effort you put in to write each article. And most importantly, by the quality of your blog.

Add comment November 23rd, 2006