Simple Tips for Beginners

Okay, I used to review some blogs. However, I didn't have the time to review all of them, and I thought there should be some checklist that people should be able to see to judge which criterias I base my review on, so here you will find a list of things to keep in mind when making your blog. 

- First impression: 

1) Interesting names make for good first impressions.

2) Interesting ideas make for good first impressions.

3) Interesting, eye-catching (not eye-burning) layouts make for good first impressions.

Good first impressions are created if you're thought-provoking, interesting and readable. [Note: Using poor language in your blog description is a complete no-no as far as good first impressions are concerned. I do care if you write lyk dis in your posts, in your heading/sub heading you can't afford to be that way]

- Layout and Design:

1) First thing - make your layout topical. If a food blog has a layout that reminds me of football it means that you didn't do this right.

2) Make your layout readable. If I can't read your posts I am not likely to stay.

3) Make your layout eye-catching. Use interesting banners/backgrounds that show me your individuality as a blogger. Use big, high quality pictures as banners.

4) Tell me immediately what your blog is about (in the sub-heading or elsewhere) so I know whether to stay or to leave. (This includes 'random stuff'. Tell me your blog is about random stuff. I want to know.)

5) Colors that go together. If you're having trouble looking for too long at your blog this is a problem.

6) Colors that will tell you clearly that this is a link, this is normal text, this is the date.

7) Use interesting and innovative stuff. Take a hint from Docomo and 'Do the new!'. Don't rely on the same old blogspot default templates, personalize and make them your own.

- Idea: Your idea is good if:

1) 100 people here aren't writing about it already.

2) If you're really passionate and can give a new insight/perspective on an idea that 100 people here are already using.

- Content: 

1) Content is king. Write a topic you know about and feel something about. Teach me something new, or make me laugh. Write something in a way I never thought it could be written.

2) Only having good content is not enough. It must also be readable. Make sure you seperate your posts into paragraphs, loads of seperate paragraphs, clearly differentiated.

3) Use pictures/videos to attract the attention of a reader. Use bold and underline, even italics or lists to make your point. (I'm doing that already, see). Make posts easier to skim through, don't write 'walls of text' that no one wants to read.

4) Use links. Add value to your blog. Introduce your reader to something that she/he has never seen before.

5) Use spell-check and grammar-check. Its remarkable how simple and effective this is.

6) Post frequently, but make sure that you remember that posting frequently is really no substitute for quality. I'd rather read a quality blog updated twice a month than one with no quality updated once a day.

7) Make your blog personal. People read blogs rather than websites because blogs are more about personal opinions, and if you just give facts then that will never work. A little bit of you must shine through your blog posts. I don't want to read the words of a computer, I want to read your thoughts.

- User-friendliness:

1) Don't put hundred and one widgets in your blog that will slow it down. It irritates me and will irritate others.

2) Put an 'about me' column on top with a picture. It will add that personal touch to your blog which people like.

3) Understand which of the gadgets people are interested and which ones you are interested in - a new reader to your blog is not interested in your stats or live feed, he/she is interested in your profile, your latest posts, and how to subscribe to your blog. Learn to put the important things first, everything else below.

4) Widgets need to be grouped according to their type. Put all ads and stuff at the bottom, put all the subscriptions links together, put all your links and your blogroll together, stuff like that.

5) Add several ways to subscribe to your blog - google friend connect, rss feeds, and email subscription are the most common (and therefore most neccessary), and other can always be useful.

6) Reply politely and nicely to people who take the time to comment on your blog.

7) I often see blogs with maybe 2 posts on the main page. Don't do this. People are remarkably reluctant to click anything, your first page has to attract them, and therefore it must have sufficient material to do so. (If you think the first page is too long, have small summaries of the blog posts and then a read more link, but you should have 6/7 posts on the main page)

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Okay, so thats all I can think of at the moment. I hope this helps you make your blog better. Feel free to ask for a review. :)

Disclaimer: This is a pretty personal thing. These are the things I like in blogs, and which I feel other people like too. It might not work for everyone. (No harm in trying, though.)