Here’s another post scraped from my old WEBLAHG. Don’t be judgey. I’m behind in my NaNoWriMo word count and I want to catch up today, ‘kay?

~*~

I am sometimes asked and sometimes read questions on blogging. Since I don’t blog (I blahg), I am loathe to answer, but I feel justified in posting on my own page.

How often should I blog?

How often do you speak? Once a week? Once a month? Blogging is like using sign language, only you already know how to do it and it takes longer. Also, if you make a mistake typing, you can correct it. If you mean to sign, “Is she your mother?” and you sign, “She is ugly,” it’s too late to fix it, if the person you’re talking to has already signed, “I have just punched you in the nose.”

What should I blog about?

What do you talk about? What do you say to people that you think needs to be communicated? If nothing you would say out loud seems appropriate or interesting enough to write down, maybe you should consider not talking so much.

Should I focus my content? How do I choose a focus? How do I “create a brand” for myself?

What are you, a bottle of ketchup?

Okay, that was snotty. I’m sorry.

You can focus your content if you want to, and brand yourself if you want to. How do you want to be known: as a writer? as a writing coach? as an inspiration? as a go-to resource for cooking tips, gardening expertise, child-rearing, Japanese culture? Focus on the content that interests you, that you feel you can provide. “Brand” yourself as whatever you feel you have to sell. Name and subtitle your blog appropriately, like, TOO MANY CHICKENS: WHAT TO DO WITH ALL THOSE EGGS! Then, right away, people think of you as The Egg Guru.

How do I make my blog “sticky”, so readers stay on it and look at different pages?

Give them something to look at, duh.

How do I get people to come back for repeat visits?

People make repeat visits?

How do I keep my content fresh and valuable?

Content?

So, as you see, blogging isn’t really all that difficult, and blahgging is less difficult, still. Have a nice day.

A WRITING PROMPT FOR YOU: Pretend one of your characters has a blog. If your character DOES have a blog, what would you post in the comments section? What would another of your characters, from a different book/story, post in the comments section? What would a character from tv/movies/literature post in the comments section?

MA