Editorial: Top Tips, the Blogging Edition
Check the lineup: besides looking intensely crazy, what do all these people have in common? They’re Bloggers… and yea, they could use some help!
Hello again, Brent from Strictly Average here, and today I want to chat a bit about blogging.
And by that, I mean the Art of Blogging. (Did you see how I got all pretentious by capitalizing it?)
Blogging is a very interesting sub-genre of the wargaming hobby. Sure, there have been sites and community forums of all types centered around the hobby since practically the first time two computers connected via a phone line.
I remember! Sadly, I can say I was there. I’m not old by any stretch of the imagination, yet I still fondly remember waiting for the mail to run because I was expecting my brand new modem from US Robotics…
…which was 2400 baud! I plugged that bad boy in and BOOM! It was screaming fast, baby, screaming fast!
Yea, sad. I know it.
Want another? I can remember playing the original Pong on one of the first generation of home entertainment systems… anyone else remember those paddles?
Technology moves quickly, but it seems we’re willing to sprint right along with it. Be it forums or blogs, there are enough of us willing to sink time and money into talking about what we love to do. In our case, of course, that’s talking about our toys.
(Don’t look so surprised. You play with toys. Embrace it already!)
Anyway, this introduction has poached broader ground than I intended – but it interests me nonetheless. Can anyone guess where we’ll be in twenty years? Will I still be writing Bell of Lost Souls articles to brighten up your Tuesday?
Let’s break out the magic 8-Ball another time: today allow me to dish my favorite tips for writing a better blog. I’m aware most of you out there read blogs rather than write them, but I hope you’ll be entertained regardless.
(As an aside, the material in this article was originally posted on Blood of Kittens in my article, On Blogging, Part VI. It’s been changed to suit the tastes of a different audience… meaning it’s not as filthy!)
This is by far the biggest reason some blogs languish in obscurity. If you want people to read your blog you’ve got to update your blog – it’s that simple. Don’t expect folks to look through your back stock of super-cool material; it ain’t gonna happen. Bloggers will love you and leave you so fast your head will spin. Give them a reason to return; make sure your blog is at the top of any blogroll you happen to be on. Keep the content fresh!
Here’s a close second… look, you may be a great writer with a ton of things to say but to get folks to read what you’ve written, give ‘em some eye-candy! Pictures get a reader to stop and words will keep them coming back. Combined, that’s content.
The pictures don’t have to match the article; don’t torture yourself and don’t overthink it! For example, in this article I used pictures from my series of “Not GW Models” on Strictly Average. They have zip to do with anything, but they’re there and they give you fine folks something to look at when the words start blurring through the tears. 🙂
People respond to honesty and the only way to give them that is to stay true to your point of view. You should approach your blog in the same manner you approach your hobby. A painter should paint and a player should play… then write it up for the blog. Easy, right? Since it’s what interests you it also increases your chance of avoiding burnout.
“But Brent,” I hear you say, “you throw up on the keyboard all the time!” I’m established. Folks will give my stuff a chance. As a general rule, try to stick to 750 words or less until you’ve built an audience.
Still – and this is important – know when to break the rules. If you’re on a roll, don’t stop! Use as many words as you need.
(On the other hand, writing a two-part article takes advantage of your muse and gives you tomorrow’s content…)
If you feel inspired to write a blog, I’d highly recommend you do it yourself. Simply put, your friends aren’t going to love your inspired madness in the same way you will. You might be willing to set aside time each day in order to struggle over a post, but you can’t honestly expect your friends to.
Especially in the beginning, when you might very well be the only one reading it.
It’s hard work to build a blog – and don’t kid yourself that you’ll be different. I’m not saying you can’t do it or you shouldn’t try, but you have a better chance of success if you’re honest with yourself about what you’re taking on.
Here’s a simple one! You have to read other people’s blogs if you expect them to read yours. Linking blogs is how the networks are built; believe it! Read someone’s article, comment on it, then move on to the next… lather, rinse, repeat. The author will get curious who you are, follow the link back to your blog, and they’ll probably add you to their blogrolls.
That’s what you’re looking for. You need to be on as many blogrolls as possible. There are several major blog rolls which will add you regardless; all you have to do is ask!
Bell of Lost Souls
: You have to be in your third month; once you’re there, shoot them an email.
House of Paincakes: Those dudes are fairly liberal – if I’m not mistaken, I think they ask you to write a few words on why your blog is cool.
As an aside, at Strictly Average I’ve never, ever failed to add someone to my blogroll when they’ve taken the time to ask. That said, I commonly delete blogs which haven’t posted in a long time – it works both ways.
This is important, so I’m going to spend a paragraph or three on it. Here’s a scenario: some dude out there reads all the top blogs and thinks to himself, “Man, I rule in my local scene! I’ve got something to say, so I think I’ll start a blog!” He titles it ’40K Badass Speaks Out,’ downloads that same black template everyone is using right now, and spends a week dropping every turd of wisdom in his arsenal.
Then what?
Since it’s a new blog, chances are very few folks will actually read it. Further, articles on tactics and strategy can be contentious, generating comments from folks who disagree and want to talk about it.
By why should they invest in that conversation on an unknown blog?
Our new Blogger is actually a good painter, but nobody has seen his stuff, since he didn’t take the time to crop, enhance, and upload any pictures. If he’d done so, chances are someone would have stopped to say, “Good job!”
No positive reinforcement there. Between that and the lack of Followers, he’s discouraged with the experience. He fails to post one day. Then two…
…then a week.
This dude may show up once a month to poke the corpse, but his blog is as dead as his new-media ambition.
When I started out, I didn’t start out trying to write high-brow strategy and tactics, ‘I’m-so-fucking-cool’ posts because I realized early the above scenario was happening to others.
Many others. In fact, it happens so often that now I’ve pointed it out, you’ll see it too. New blogs are like moths, in that the author has the best intentions but writes up all the easy stuff first then burns out.
If you want a successful blog, don’t do a half-assed job. It’s really that simple.
It’s worth it. Blogging is hard work – I won’t lie about that – but nothing has ever energized my hobby quite like it. It’s absolutely worth it, so don’t be afraid to give it a try. The blogosphere is still only getting started!
For today’s discussion, I invite all you fine folks to drop your blog link in the comments: I for one promise to visit every one – and chances are others will, too! If you aren’t writing a blog, feel free to take the time to drop in a favorite.
And hey, if you want to visit Strictly Average, who’s stopping you? (I know, I know! I’m so ashamed!)
Questions? Comments? Hugs and gropings?
