Originally published in Intranet Journal (23-Jun-2006)
Copyright © 2006 Paul Chin. All rights reserved.
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Everyone thinks they can be a writer; but there's a big difference between a writer and someone who writes. Good writers know how to capture an audience early, engage them throughout the piece, and keep them interested enough that they actually want to stick around until the end. Like music, there's a cadence and rhythm to the written word. This is what separates an aria from a cat choking on a chicken bone.
The blog explosion has created a virtual community of writers and wannabe writers. Some wow us with their weaving of words and insightful commentary; others have us wondering if, prior to the advent of the blog, the piece would have been written with a box of stubby Crayola crayons. Yet without knowledge of even the fundamentals of the written word, bloggers impose their views, interests, and thoughts on the Internet community.
Anyone can blog, but that doesn't mean everyone should blog—at least not until they learn how. So if you're going to do it, do it right.
What's in Your Blog?
In my last article, Corporate Blogs: Weapons of Crass Discussion?, I discussed some of the many things that make blogs so appealing—for both readers and writers. It's usually less formal than engineered content; allows users to become content providers (thus making them active participants as opposed to mere spectators); and most of all, blogs have personality.
Whether blogging for the Internet or for a corporate intranet, as bloggers you must make sure that you actually have something of interest to say about a particular topic—for purposes of information, entertainment, or both. Don't start one up simply for the sake of having one. We saw plenty of this when the Web was first introduced and people built all manner of sites that were devoid of any value beyond the author's own curiosity with the new medium.
Celebrities and other well-known personalities—actors and entertainers, politicians, corporate CEOs—are the only people who can get away with "themeless" blogs, because readers will tune in to find out what they have to say about pretty much anything. For example, millions of people will flock to a Brad Pitt or Charlize Theron "what I did this weekend" blog; but no one, besides family and friends, will really care what you or I did this weekend. So, unless you have a very unique writing style or an oddly interesting life, your blog must have a theme—general or specific.
Tips on Becoming a Better Blogger
It's very easy to start a blog, but it takes a bit of practice to write an interesting enough blog that readers will want to come back again and again. There are many things bloggers—both neophytes and veterans—can do to improve their blog and themselves as writers:
- Find your voice: Being efficient at writing internal memos and technical manuals is a far cry from writing an interesting blog. It sometimes takes a bit of time for writers to find their true voice. Be patient and practice by writing—even if it's not to be published on a blog—and most importantly make sure you observe the next point.
- Be yourself: Don't put on airs or try to be someone you're not. Inexperienced writers tend to fall prey to one of two extremes: They either try too hard to be clever and end up falling short (writing humor is a fine art!) or are so serious that they sound like something hatched out of a robotics laboratory.
- Write naturally: When writing a blog entry imagine that you're speaking to someone (unless it's a very formal or official blog). For instance, the use of contractions will help make your blog sound more natural and in tune with the way most people talk. Also, avoid trying to be overly literary if you don't have the writing skills yet. I've read some blogs where writers try so hard to be visual that they end up using five adjectives in a single sentence, or string an entire paragraph together by starting every sentence with a conjunction.
- Be creative: It's perfectly all right—and preferable to many readers—to inject a bit of creativity and humor into your blog (if you know how to do it properly). Even when working on an internal corporate blog, it doesn't mean you have to write like an undertaker—unless the topic is very serious, which lead to the next point.
- Match tone with subject: If you're discussing a very serious topic, don't crack jokes and make light of the matter or you'll end up trivializing the entry and damage your reputation as a blogger.
- Don't be afraid to express your opinions (when appropriate): Timid writers sit on the fence and don't want to move for fear of leaning to any one side. If you're an expert in a field or industry, readers will come to your blog expressly to read about what you have to say—so say it loud and proud!
- Stick to your convictions: If what you wrote in a blog entry is truly what you believe, stand behind your words. It's all right to admit your mistakes if you truly did make a mistake (readers will respect you more if you do so rather than stubbornly argue something that has already been proven false), but don't cave in just because what you wrote causes a stir among the readers.
- Learn by reading other blogs: Find out how other bloggers are using the tool and get a feel for different writers' styles. The purpose here isn't to imitate, but to help you find your own blogger voice.
- Make a connection with the readers: Don't be afraid to write in first- and second-person perspective. Addressing the reader directly helps to form a connection. For example, "I believe that you can learn a lot by doing" sounds more conversational and natural than "One can learn a lot by doing."
- Give readers something unique: If there are already five blogs about a particular subject within your company, it doesn't need a sixth. If you insist on covering an area that's already being blogged about, find a different angle to cover. Readers will rarely read multiple blogs about the same subject unless you offer something unique that other bloggers of the same subject don't.
- Don't make entries too long: Keep in mind that readers might not always have the time to read long blog entries. If the topic you're writing about requires a lot of coverage and isn't time sensitive, break it up into multiple parts. This will get readers used to coming back to your blog or subscribing if it's offered as an RSS feed.
- Develop thick skin: Try not to take overly critical or negative comments too personally; learn from them. This is discussed more in the next section.
Dealing with Feedback
One of the first things I learned as a writer is that you will never make everyone happy. But that was never my intention, and nor should it be yours. I've had readers complain that a particular article focused too much on technology (even though written for an IT publication for an IT audience), while others complained that the very same story wasn't technologically oriented enough. Well, I guess in some cases, you can't make anyone happy.
If you allow readers to leave comments on your blog, be prepared to deal with a certain amount of negative feedback. Some readers will provide intelligently written constructive criticism and will be open to discussion; some will have little-to-nothing productive to say and will attack you simply for the sake of raising hell; and some will miss the point entirely.
It's an unfortunate aspect of human nature that readers will be more likely to express disapproval than satisfaction. Readers who enjoy a story might not always take the time to convey this fact, but if readers get a whiff of something they don't like in what you've written, a huge discussion thread will spring forth like a brush fire. While I believe that it's important to pay attention to your readers' feedback and comments, as a writer you can't allow them to dictate what and how you write.
The best advice I can give is not to take it too personally if you find yourself under attack. Never become overly defensive and respond to these attacks on emotion. If you do so, you could very well damage your reputation as a blogger and content provider. Don't get sucked into a bunch of yahoos' nonsense because that's precisely what they want. Next thing you know, all of your productive blogging time is wasted defending your work to people who just want to cause trouble. So if you ever find yourself under unwarranted attack remember this appropriate quote by Plato, "A wise man speaks because he has something to say; a fool speaks because he has to say something."
Closing Thoughts
Blogging is more art than science; but you don't have to don a beret and brood in the dark corner of some cafe. Blogging is not an elitist community. The whole point to blogging is to allow anyone to participate. But if you want to distinguish yourself as a great blogger you should give it some forethought before you begin. What's it going to be about? What writing style are you going to employ? Who are you catering to? It might be difficult at the beginning—especially for novice writers—to write on a regular basis, but once you get the hang of this whole blogging thing and become skilled at it, it will flow more easily. And then the only thing you'll have to contend with is that affliction that hits every writer at one point or another: writer's block. Welcome to the club; you've arrived!
Copyright © 2006 Paul Chin. All rights reserved.
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