There are many things that make a blog great. Blogs should be entertaining and bloggers should give their readers what they want to hear and see. In my opinion, bloggers should be held to the same standard as journalists--they have a responsibility to their audience just like journalist's have to the public. After reviewing
"12 Steps to Launch a Successful Blog" and the
Food Blog Code of Ethics as well as my own experience, I have compiled a short list of what I would consider the "best practices" of blogging:
1. Be Passionate and Committed.
No one wants to read a blog from someone who is writing just to write. That makes all the content seem bland. Readers will be more enticed when they can tell that you really care about what you're writing about. In addition, bloggers should make sure that they post new content least once a week to keep readers coming back for more.
2. Make it Appealing.
If your blog is pleasing to the eye, your readers will be able to easily see your content. Too much going on in the background or crazy color combinations can distract from the information you are trying to provide to your readers. Images are always helpful. It breaks up all of the text and makes the blog more interesting to read. A banner that coincides with the theme of your blog as well as tabs where readers can navigate to specific posts are also helpful. The easier it is to see where everything is and the easier it is to access the more likely people will stick around to see what you have to offer.
3. Be Original.
People want to follow a blog that puts out original content. If they can get the information elsewhere beforehand, why would they wait to get the information from you later on? Another part of being original is not stealing other people's work. You have to make sure that you cite your sources and that you ask permission before reproducing someone's copyrighted work. Why take the chance of stealing someone's work when being unique is what will ultimately make you stand out.
4. Be Responsible.
It is vital that bloggers be responsible about what they post. Just as journalist's must do their best to check sources, as should bloggers. If you put out information that was inaccurate, you must take the responsibility for and own up to that mistake. No one told you what to write in your blog, so you are the one who must take the fall for misinformation. If you continually put out information that is accurate, your readers will likely stick with you because they anticipate this. Bloggers should also make sure they are transparent when it comes to sponsors and gifts that they receive. This transparency helps readers to understand your bias' and that can lead to trust between the blogger and the audience.
5. Be Nice.
This one is really a no-brainer. If you are nice to people, people will be nice to you. If you are rude or mean to your audience, why would they want to stick around and read what you have to say? Take all criticism with a grain of salt, no matter how obnoxious a comment was. Showing class and taking the high road will win you more readers than responding negatively to others. There will always be one person who is determined to bring a successful person down, so do not pay 'Negative Nancy' any mind. There's nothing cute about being a bully.
6. Interact With Your Audience.
The people who read your blog are your supporters. They love the content you produce and look forward to new posts. Their commitment to you and your blog makes them quite deserving of getting something back. Respond to their questions and their comments. Make them feel like they are a part of the blog, too. Let them suggest ideas for the content of future blogs and actually follow through with them.
7. Be Entertaining.
Whether your blog focuses on politics, food or just everyday life--make it entertaining. Readers want to learn something without it feeling like learning. Be funny, be sarcastic, be dramatic. Whatever your schtick is, just do it well.
The blog I have chosen to analyze for the purposes of this assignment is
Fake-It Frugal. This blog is run by a woman whose family was hit hard
financially in 2008, so she shares the things that she does to save
money that we can then try, too. She posts anything from how to make
your own cheap holiday decorations to how to make your own fake Febreze
and Windex.
This particular blogger is very
passionate about what she posts. She loves DIY crafts and saving money by making "fake" versions of expensive foods. One of my favorites is her Fake Ben & Jerry's Half-Baked Ice Cream. Her recipe which makes four pints of ice cream costs $4.19. Four pints of "real" Ben & Jerry's costs $15.96. That is a total savings of $11.77! When she is excited, so are her readers. This makes reading the blog very enjoyable and makes me want to run out and make everything that she posts, immediately! Her site is also very easy to navigate and it's quite cute. Its
appearance really fits with her blog because it's not flashy at all. It works with the frugal theme and it catches your eye because it is clean and minimal. She also has tabs at the top of her blog labeled for each type of post she has made from "Crafts N Decor" to "Tips N Musings." The DIY's are
unique because she posts things that she has done in her own house with things she wasn't using anymore, but that is what draws people to her site. A lot of the things she posts I've never thought to do to save money.
One of the things I really like about Fake It Frugal is that in her "About Me" section she tells the audience that this is a
transparent blog and that any and all endorsements will be posted on the blog. This gives me confidence that this blogger is honest and has integrity. She is also extremely
nice to her commenters. She is never rude and seems very happy. She always responds and takes suggestions from her fellow bloggers on what she should post next. This
interaction keeps her audience happy and makes them want to keep reading. She's also very funny! The voice that she blogs in makes you feel like she could be your mom or your friend. She's very personable and she makes all of her posts very
entertaining. Although her audience is mostly women, I would suggest that everyone go check out Fake It Frugal. There are so many recipes and DIY's that you will be entertained for hours.
http://fakeitfrugal.blogspot.com/
Resources
Chelidonis, I. (2011). 12 steps to launch a successful blog.
TheWebCitizen. Retrieved from http://www.dailyblogtips.com/steps-to-successful-blog/
Greenstein, L. & Burton, B. (2011). Food blog code of ethics.
Wordpress. Retrieved from http://foodethics.wordpress.com/
