blogs for writing/writers

Question(s) of the day: How many blogs do you have bookmarked? And from that list, how many do you read regularly?

My toolbar features about 20 of my favorite blogs, and I wish I had time to read through the posts daily. I often play catch-up when I find a minute or two of extra time on my hands, but I wish I could manage to check in more.

Since it's already difficult to keep up--there's just so much great stuff out there!--it takes a really, really interesting blog to entice me to add it to the toolbar these days. But recently I found one: Ragan.com's Writing & Editing blog. If you are a writer, a self-proclaimed grammarian, or a professional who writes for your company, be sure to check it out!

5 ways to heat up your blog content

We're nearing the end of October, but today felt a bit like summer at 80ish degrees. (?!) Did I mention that it's October?

I live in the Midwest, so this shouldn't be surprising. They say around these parts if you don't like the weather, wait 15 minutes and it'll change. (It's practically true...this weekend it's supposed to be in the 40s!)

So anyway, thoughts of warmth have been running through my head all day, and of course I try to relate it to workstuff. Today's (semi) related thought can be applied to blogs, specifically: how might you turn up the heat on your copy and really get folks talking?

Discuss a controversial issue.
Everyone is entitled to an opinion, and when you publish your own stuff you've got a platform to easily share your views. So go ahead and stir up a little commotion. If the comments you receive disagree with your point of view, that's ok. Just remember that when people comment on your blog, it's proof that your words are being read! Respond to in a respectful, polite manner and you may even make some friends along the way (even if your viewpoints differ).

Solicit responses.
Asking readers to share their opinions and experiences is a great way to initiate discussion on your blog. You can ask questions throughout the text, but it's best if your question comes at the end of the post. If it's the last thing your readers see, they're more likely to respond (and less likely to forget that you asked them a question in the first place). 

Use humor. 
Who doesn't like to laugh? Even folks seeking professional, insightful advice appreciate funny stuff here and there. A clever anecdote may also help keep your readers' interest. Here's a post I read today that had me laughing...I enjoyed it so much I'd like to share it here. 

Write a great title. 
 Do you write posts with ease, but get stuck on the title? A great title (or headline when talking about articles published in other formats) is key to drawing in readers. Check out these tips for creating great titles/headlines.

Add a super image.
All that text--no matter how well it's written--is not the first thing people see when they come to your blog. Images are a powerful way to introduce your story, so take time to find a great one each time you post! Images don't have to cost an arm and a leg, either. In fact, you can obtain many for free, or very cheaply. Here's a piece that expands on this topic, plus includes links to some images sites.

So tell us...how do you keep your blog hot, hot, hot?

infographic: write faster blog posts

It's Friday and I'm taking the afternoon off to enjoy a hiking trip--and hopefully lots of fall colors--with my family. So I'll leave you with this infographic which provides useful (and pretty!) tips for anyone looking to speed up their blogging turnaround time. (I'm taking notes, too, by the way!)

Have a great weekend, all!

by j6design. Learn about infographics software.

UBC favorites list (week 1)

I admit it: I goofed. I was planning to use Sundays to list a few of my favorite reads the past week by participants in the Ultimate BlogChallenge. To make things simple, I thought I was bookmarking blogs along the way, and that I’d review them later and pare down the list by the weekend—but apparently I didn’t do this. My bookmarks remain the same as they were a week ago.

Oops.

So…today I’m going to go back through the past couple of days and re-select some titles/subject matter that catch my interest. I know this won’t represent the entire pool of posts everyone has worked hard to publish, and I’m sorry about that.

I’ll do better next week!

Today’s picks are articles I think will most interest those trying to run a business or head an organization. Topics are content creation, social media, productivity, and reading.

22 Ideas to Create Compelling Content

Ideal infographic for writers of all types, from professional writers to anyone maintaining a blog!

How To Engage on Facebook—Leave No Fan Behind

Great post for anyone looking to build their social media community!

Bart Nash’s 9 Tips on How to Get Your Blog Noticed Fast and Easy

Make sure everyone knows about your blog!

Multi-Tasking Makes You Stupid

The post title got me to read it, and the useful information kept me reading!

Become a Better Reader: Identifying With a Character

This is targeted toward helping kids read better, but since just about everyone reads, I think everyone will find the content interesting. Plus, I’m a huge advocate of reading so I had to feature this!

Oh, and a side note: I feel this list would be fairer if I could actually read ALL the posts that have been shared on the UBC each week—but unfortunately, my reading time is limited. As much as I’d love to read everyone’s content, there’s often a three-year-old calling for me, or I have to run my older daughter to gymnastics or girl scouts, or I’m on deadline for a paying project.

Keep up the great work, everyone!

why blog?

So...today is it: October 1st. A brilliant, fresh new month perfect for setting new goals.

What sort of goals have you set for the month?

In my last post I mentioned that I'm taking on the Ultimate Blog Challenge. This is where participants post 31 times in 31 days...preferably once each day, but it's been noted that if we fall behind it's ok to toss a couple of posts out on a "late" day to catch up. (Whew!)


Anyway, I figure this is a great way to invigorate this blog, and I'm really looking forward to the challenge.

How about you? Are you up for a challenge, too? You can blog about anything you want: family, work, gardening, social media, golf, furbabies, politics...the topics are endless! Why not join in the fun?

If you're already a blogger, that's awesome! But if you haven't yet tested the blogging waters, now's a great time to start. First, however, ask yourself why you want to have a blog. That's sort of an important question, especially if you are writing for a business.

Are you looking to get noticed?

Want to extend your web presence beyond your website?

Do you have valuable information to share?

Want to boost your credibility? (Via that valuable info mentioned above.)

These are all great reasons to jump on board the blogging train. But before you start spewing information, keep a few things in mind:

1. Don't just type your post and hit publish.
After writing, leave your post for at least a day in a draft folder, then come back and re-read. You may decide your point wasn't as clear as you thought, or you may discover typos. You want your message (and your grammar!) to be as perfect as possible if you want your readers to take you seriously.
 
2. Provide great content.
Always make sure the information you are providing is useful for your target audience. (I.e., the readers you hope to attract--and keep!) There are so many ways to keep your content fresh--and don't feel like you have to stick to the same format all the time, either. Consider posting interviews, case studies, how-to lists, instructional information, etc. As long as you offer valuable information, you are providing a service to your readers. They'll appreciate that.

3. Create clever titles.
Maybe I should have said "don't forget to title your posts." (Because sometimes I get so excited to have worked a post up to meet my publishable criteria that I hit "publish" and forget to add a title. Am I the only one who does this?!) But really, a stellar title will help your post get noticed. Here are some tips on how to do that.

Whether you're on board with the Ultimate Blog Challenge or not, best of luck to you as you begin--or continue--your blogging efforts!

the ultimate blog challenge

You'd think that--as a writer, and one who focuses on promoting businesses and organizations to boot--I'd be a blogging ninja. My own blog would offer updated content throughout the week and it would all be stuff you'd want to share with your friends, associates, and clients. Wouldn't that be smart?

I can do all that, and I have done all that--for my clients. But like many business owners, I tend to let promoting my own business slide a bit. There are a number of reasons for this:

• I've got three projects due the same day and I'm working (bleary-eyed, on little sleep) to deliver to my clients on time (or better yet, a bit ahead of time!). 

• The kids have a crazy amount of activities this particular week and since my laptop battery is on the fritz (not to mention the gymnastics place doesn't have wi-fi) I can't bring it with me (no outlets in the waiting room...what's up with that?) hence no work.

• I'm in Hawaii on vacation and don't WANT to work. (Yeah, right!)

I realize these are all excuses. They may be justifiable (to an extent) but when it comes down to it, ALL they are is excuses. And that's lame.

So I'm upping the ante. I just signed up for The Ultimate Blog Challenge. It starts in October and is hosted by this notable duo: Michele Scism and Michelle Schaeffer. 

I've followed Michelle Schaeffer's blog for a while now, and she's always got thought-provoking ideas and awesome tips for business owners. M. Scism is new to me, but I like her tips in the free guide I received when I signed up for the Challenge, so I'm sure I'll be following her, too.

Want to invigorate your blog, too? Sign up for the challenge as well and we'll go at this together. Let me know how you're doing and I'll let you know how things are on my end. After all, we're supposed to post every day in October, so there'll be lots of opportunities for updates.

Let's do this thing! 

5 blogs to read today

As some of you may know (but most probably don't), I'm also a musician. I play saxophone, and used to perform quite often in my pre-kid, pre-recession life. I've gigged with a number of bands, including shows with iconic groups The Temptations and Little Anthony and the Imperials, as well as a host of local groups and my own jazz quartet.

One important lesson I learned during my days of intense practicing was that in order to play well, you have to listen to music--a LOT of music. Listen to your favorite artists. Listen to the greats. Listen to everything you can get your hands on. You'll learn so much, like how to phrase and ways to incorporate inflection and emulate tone. And, of course, listening is a very inspiring way to get excited about playing.

I've found that writing is no different. In order to write well, you have to read--a LOT. If you write fiction, read your favorite authors. If you write poetry, absorb as many stanzas as you can. And if you write for your business, read trade journals, newsletters, and blogs. Look at information published by friends and competitors in your area. Note what you like and what you don't about what they say and how they say it.

Reading helps you get a feel for tone (formal, conversational) and flow (sentence length). You may learn a new word or two along the way. And, just like when you read books, you'll soon find a writer whose work you probably enjoy reading.

When you find an inspirational write who provides information you can use, and when the writer happens to be the author of a blog, it's easy to follow him or her regularly and get your (daily, weekly) fix.

I have a lot of blogs on my own RSS feed, but here are 5 of my favorites I'd like to share with you. I check in with these folks almost daily, and thanks to their thoughtful content I obtain a lot of business and writing information and ideas. I'm sure you will, too.

1. Copyblogger

2. ProBlogger

3. Michelle Shaeffer

4. Momeo

5. Write Direction

What blogs do you follow? How have they helped your business?

Image(s): FreeDigitalPhotos.net

super tips for creating blog content

A fellow solopreneur in my awesome local Facebook (local) entrepreneur group shared this article from The Inspired Marketer today. It's got some fabulous ideas for creating content when you're struggling to write come up with a topic. This piece also reassures us it's ok NOT to post original content all the time. Some places to look for topic inspiration include:

• tv
• movies
• celebrities
• superheroes (yes! see my last post)
• successes/failures
• memories

For the complete list, plus a nifty visual chart, check out Easy Content Ideas for the Online Entrepreneur.

Hope everyone has a great week...happy Monday!