Visitors know how to improve Your Blog: 7 tips to make them speak

Who is the best judge of your blog? For whom you spend most of the time reading, browsing web and thinking of a new killer post? Yes, the audience - your blog readers. For instance, check this article which says a simple, hard-hitting fact (you can skip reading the full article - but remember it) - Blog Readers Spend More Time and Money Online.

Some accidentally hit your blog through search engines - few subscribe or bookmark and visit often but, everyone who have visited your blog always formed an opinion about your blog. That might be a good or bad - but, they had something to say, right? They make or break a blog - if they love your blog, they would bookmark you.

So, we should spend some time on listening to our customers - shouldn't we?

Imagine, what if you have known to some 100 ideas about improving your blog for FREE. I will swap a month's pay for that. Ok, we get down to business - How do you make your readers speak on your weaknesses? Here are 7 tips:

1) Conduct a Poll / Survey: If you have not collected a feedback for your readers, it is the best time to conduct a user need survey. Use polldaddy for a one question blog or you can design a full questionnaire (limit to 10, please!) using zoomerang or surveymonkey (both have free accounts - but maximum 100 responses for a 10 days period).

2) Reward those who speak: Do not think you have not got a BIG reward. Either you can announce 'a random winner will get an iPod' a deal or if you do not have a budget, give-away a free e-book for all the respondents (Write a feedback and download this e-book).

3) Add a Guesbook: You can not have a permanent poll running around - so, have a guestbook link at your blog contact page or more prominently in the front page. Do you know the second most checked thing in a blog (after the About page) is the Contact us / Feedback page. Make it obvious that you are listening.

4) Feedback link in the RSS feed: Ask your feed readers to help you in improving your blog. Add a 'request a blog post / tip' or 'Ask a Question' link so, readers can easily reach you and by this way, you can get ideas for future blog posts (Stop scratching your head!).

5) Rating - One-click for rating for posts: As long as it is a simple, unobtrusive - a simple thumbs up / thumbs down icon - it is OK to have at the end of every post. Get a rating widget for new Blogger from Spotback. You can find many plugins for Wordpress blogs.

6) Make them comment on your posts: This is tricky - because as the Problogger himself says, only 1 out of 100 readers (read his excellent tips) make an effort to comment (we are lazy!). But, even we have to come out of our shelves to comment on others' blogs. Set out a time to take a blog walk - just to interact with readers - use mybloglog, blog directories, backlinks - and comment on their blogs. They will come back and do the same thing for you.

7) Publish Recent Commentors / Comments: Recent commentors ( 5 or 10) list is a good way to reward the readers who leave a feedback. Link their name with their blog or web page - they will love it.

Similarly, recent comments also good to show how readers thought about your blog posts.

source: http://www.howtoliveonline.com/2007/06/visitors-know-how-to-improve-your-blog.html

define : bulwark, cache, callous

bulwark - n. something used as a defense, a strong protection

The 1986 Philippine Edsa Revolution showed the Filipino people's courage, they used their bodies as bulwarks against the army's invading tanks.

cache - n (cash) a hiding place, something hidden in a secret place

The dictators then thought that there was a money cache somewhere funding this rally.

callous - adj. unfeeling and insensitive

The peaceful confrontation between the army and the people showed that the army was not callous as it was initially thought to be.

define: blanch, blithe, broach

blanch - v. turn pale

Grace was so surprised at Mark's marriage proposal that she blanched.

blithe - adj. happily, light hearted, joyful

Deep in her own mind, she had blithely denied the possibility of him and her.

broach - v. to open up a subject for discussion

That was why she was genuinely shocked when he broached the subject of marriage.

define:begrudge, benediction, benign

begrudge - adj. to envy another's possessions, to concede reluctantly

Her husband does not begrudge her going out with friends, as long as she comes home within a reasonable time.

benediction - n. a blessing, a good wish

Her husband's arrival in her life is such a benediction on her part.

benign - adj. gentle, not harmful, kind

Allison knows that the curfew set by her husband is benign, and meant only to protect her.

Attract More Readers To Your Blog

The key here is minding the structure of your blog posts. Well structured blog posting will catch the readers' attention, and make them want to read what you have to say.

1. Give the blog posting an amazing or thought provoking title that will surely catch the reader’s eye. This is the first thing they see and will help them decide if it is interesting to them.
2. Put the main point in the first paragraph. If the reader is merely scanning the post this is the only thing readers will see and if it is interesting enough, they will want to read on.
3. Put the details in the following paragraphs of your posting.
4. Finally in the last part of the posting add the background information. I know this writing style is slightly different from what we're used to, in school we are taught to wrap it up or summarize in the end. But in blogging, we do not have the luxury of time.We are constantly battling for our readers attention and everything must be kept interesting for them, be it the beginning, the middle or the end.

define : definitive, infinitesmal, finite

Definitive – adj. authoritative and final; specifying perfectly or precisely

The scientist had definitive answers to the grade school students interviewing him about his latest invention.

Infinitesimal – adj. extremely or immeasurably small.

The chances of us hooking up, is so infinitesimal that you should really consider giving up right now.

Finite – adj. having definite limits.

Though my love and care for you is infinite, my tolerance for your physical and emotional abuse is definitely finite, and I’ve had enough. Goodbye!

blogs and copyright

A copyright is an exclusive legal right to a property, in our case, it is the legal right to anything we write and any picture or videos we take and post on our blogs. Everything is copyrighted upon creation, meaning that these belong to the person who created it. There is an implied “all rights reserved” in every blog. If a person wants to re-use any material, there should be an explicit agreement allowing him to use it.

However there are cases when you are willing to let others use your work, as part of promotion of your blog, and in these cases, you might want to consider putting up a license in your blog, specifying the rights you are allowing other users. Use the search engines in looking for the proper license you’d like to have on your blog.

Here are a couple of rights you can choose from:

Attribution – you let others use (copy, distribute or display) your copyrighted work, and derivative works based on it, but only if they give you proper credit.

Noncommercial - you let others use your work, and derivative works based on it, but only for noncommercial purposes.

No Derivative Works – you let others use your work, as long as they use it word for word, and no derivative works should be based upon it.

What will you do if your copyright is violated?

Act on it fast. Contact the blogger who plagiarized your content and ask him to remove your articles or pictures from his site. Make a strong point by making a link to the copied article in his blog and your original work. Ask him point blank. No need to beat around the bush. No one likes a copy-cat. But of course still show your breeding, no need to be threatening or crass.

If he doesn’t respond to diplomacy, then take more serious action. Email the web host provider. Most of these companies take care of their reputations and they would not like to be know as an accessory to any crime. Do this for every violation the blogger commits, this should get the hosts’ attention. If he has any advertisement on his blog, email the advertisers and let them know what happened. This should strike a nerve since you’d be attacking his source of income.

Try to warn other bloggers. Share your experience on your blog, let your readers and blog-friends know about this violator, share in also on social communities like twitter and plurk. We should all be aware of our rights.

In coming up with an article, we use our time, talents and treasure, and we have the right to protect and enjoy the fruits of our labor.

tips in writing your blog

Let me put it simply, if you intend to create a good blog, you need to instill in your mind that you should write very clearly and concisely, that in writing for the web, you should adapt the web mentality. Put yourself in your target readers’ shoes. You may be at work or at home when reading the blog, but nevertheless you don’t have the luxury of reading in a leisurely manner. I mean let’s face it, being on the web costs money. Some people are billed for the size of the data they download, while some are billed for the time they spend on the net. Meanwhile, we are not asked to pay for the time we spend in reading books or newspapers. With all that said, the old adage still rings true, in writing for a good blog, you should KISS: KEEP IT SHORT AND SWEET.

A reader who happens to hop by your blog will only skim through your articles. Very few people actually reads the blogs word for word. If he sees something that catches his eye, he may stay on and read some more, till his interest wanes and he hops off to another blog. That is precisely why your blog articles should be dotted with key words and catch phrases. Enough to catch your readers’ attention. Articles should be well-written, self explanatory and make sense by itself. Often times your readers are directed to your blog through search engines, they don’t have the luxury of reading through the previous entries in order to understand the one they are currently reading. Not everyone understands tech jargon, so keep the newbies in mind when writing your entries.

Blogs, unlike other websites, have a personal tone. Readers like to feel the author’s personality, his humor, and his sentiments when reading the entries. Readers should feel like the author is actually sharing information with them, communicating with them, wanting to have a conversation with them. Stay relaxed but focused. Readers shouldn’t feel like they are at the receiving end of a lecture or a marketing pitch. When readers feel at home in your site, they will leave comments or questions for you to answer. Don’t be rattled. This is a good thing. Readers are reaching out to you, this can actually lead to an increased traffic. Respond in a warm and welcoming manner. Reply as if you’re talking to a long-time friend. Establish a relationship, this will keep readers keep coming back for more!

define : aggrandize, allusion, altruistic

aggrandize v. to make great

Many politicians' wealth are aggrandized during their stay in office.


allusion n. indirect reference

My friend's shoe fetish is often called imeldific which is an allusion to Imelda Marcos and her 300 pairs of shoes.

altruistic adj. unselfish concern with the welfare of others

Trying times often bring out the altruistic side of people.

Define : aesthetic, affinity, agenda

in writing good blogs, it is important to widen your vocabulary, this way you don't use the same words over and over again. start out with these...

aesthetic - adj. concerned with or appreciative of beauty

The problem with society nowadays is that many are concerned merely about aesthetics and not about what's inside a person.

affinity - n. sympathy, attraction, kinship

Some successful people feel an affinity with the members of impoverished communities, they are reminded of what they were like before they were able to reach their dreams.

agenda - n. program, things to be done

The government's agenda is growing longer everyday, now if only the government officials can address them all.

Blogging and Websites

Why is blogging so popular? What is the difference between blogs and websites?
Blogs are actually similar to websites, but it comes in journal form and it is more personal in tone. Another difference is that the blog is usually arranged chronologically while websites are arranged according to categories.

What makes a blog popular is its ease to use. Just about anybody can start a blog, even if you don’t know a thing about computers or the net. The instructions are very easy to follow, just do the step by step instructions and voila, you can now start posting short articles and personal notes. You can even post pictures to add emphasis to your posts and to keep your blog interesting and pleasing to the eyes.

Another thing that is great about a blog is that it encourages conversation between author and reader. This is done through the comment facility of blogs. Through this, readers can ask questions, express opinions, even commend the writer for a good article done. The blogger can then respond either on the blog itself via a comment also or through the readers email. This way, blogs encourage dialogue between the readers and the blogger, and eventually, this exchange can lead to a long term relationship, even a friendship.

Creating a Popular Blog

We all want to make money, and if you want to make money through you blog, you will have to create a popular blog. You will have bigger chances of monetizing your blog if it receives a good flow of traffic, that is a steady stream of visitors and readers. Because of this, making your blog popular and growing readership should be one of your primary concerns.

There are many ways to make your blog more popular. You should always write about something that interests you, and that will interest others. This way, you will be more inspired to update your blog regularly since you won’t find it too tedious and obligatory. As in everything, it is important to find pleasure in what you do. It is also important to consider your target audience. Who are you appealing to? Then try to pretend to talk to a certain person from that demographic, zeroing in on a certain person will make it easier to “talk” to someone.

One of the great things about blogging is that you do not have to be a professional writer to have a popular blog. If your are a frustrated writer, like moi, it’s nirvana! It is a place to let your uber amateur inner writer run amok. All you have to do is to follow common grammatical rules and at least be able to put together coherent sentences, but you do not have to be a highly skilled writer. Remember, your posts should be easy and pleasurable to read in order to hook your readers. Blog readers are looking for interesting, relevant topics to read, not the mind boggling musings of a scholar.

Make sure what you write is appealing, edgy, or even controversial. Popular blogs are never boring and should enrich your reader’s lives either through information or entertainment.