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Building a blog, part 5

Read part 4 here

Blog Content, continued

Post about your hobbies.

Most of us pursue hobbies that lots of other people around the world pursue also. So post about it on your blog.

This is a great way to add some personal touches to your blog posts, and it also draws people to your blog who have the same interests as you do.

Pull in all the things you’re interested in. Anything can make a blog post—your current knitting project, your garden’s first tomato, your spin class’s new instructor, etc.

This adds points of interest to your blog and also helps create a community between yourself and your blog readers.

Post about current events.

Blogs that post about talked-about items tend to get lots of traffic from people Googling those items. If you have something to say about some news or popular item, then blog about it.

It doesn’t have to be current news events—it can be anything people are talking about. World events or fashion, politics or cooking. Anything.

For example, when the seventh Harry Potter book was about to hit the shelves, people who blogged about it got a jump in hits because everyone wanted to read up on the new book.

Be aware that blogging about popular topics can also attract trolls—people who like to leave argumentative, denigrating, and/or downright nasty comments on blogs just for the fun of hurting someone or riling someone up.

However, blogging about popular topics can also boost your blog stats and might gain you some readers you otherwise wouldn’t have had.

And if you’re not comfortable blogging about certain events or news, don’t feel pressured to do so. Blog about what you’re comfortable blogging about.

Next: blogging to your own personality.

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Comments

  1. AnonymousWed Dec 03, 06:47:00 AM 2008

    NICE. I'm so not comfy blogging about politics...and often shy away from current events, but never thought about the more fun things like fashion and cooking.

    But then again, I've only been blogging for, like, six months. I'm glad you're doing this series. It's great.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Avily JeromeWed Dec 03, 09:13:00 AM 2008

    Thanks for the tips, Camy!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Camy TangWed Dec 03, 11:39:00 AM 2008

    Thanks! I'm glad it's helpful, guys!
    Camy

    ReplyDelete
  4. Crystal LaineThu Dec 04, 08:38:00 AM 2008

    I think I'm going to have to break down and start posting on my hobbies--but some of my hobbies are what might bring in the trolls. Sigh.

    But I need to do something on my blog to change up things--if I'm going to continue them/it.

    But yeah, I read some blogs because of the commentary on what interests me/the person blogging, so what you say is true. I may have started reading a blog because I'm interested in their fiction/read it. But I stayed because they write about their dog or something else that interests me!

    Good stuff, as usual, Camy.

    ReplyDelete

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