Tag Archives: bloggers

Blogology: Standing out

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Now days every time you open up you computer you’re inundated with blogs and vlogs and everything in between but with so much volume how do you make your work stand out? Well as discussed previously you need to secure things like your theme, posting schedule and word choice but there are other ways to be unique to your readers and potential audience.

Personal Touch

When somebody you know personally reads something from you it’s likely that they notice your style of writing and personal details and appreciate them. Similarly regular readers of your blog will become familiar with your writing and come to enjoy your touches of personality in each post. So even if you’re writing about a familiar subject or a broad topic your personal touches add a new spin and a fresh view.

 

Speak in the first person

When you choose to speak third person or from a distanced point of view the post lacks a personal or real life connection. Writing from a place of experience or sincerity will show and will resonate with readers to hopefully come back for future posts.

 

Cliff Hangers

When you title your posts and write a few sentences about it you should always use descriptive and intriguing language. Make the audience interested enough to read along but don’t give enough away where they wont read the entire post.

Whenever we do something that is the at the moment thing like blogging we strive to be the best and to get recognition for our efforts. It doesn’t happen over night and it takes a fair amount of dedication to do, but it is doable. If you’re committed and passionate about your writing it will show. For more tips and tricks check out my previous blog posts or follow me on twitter!

Blogology 101: Open new doors with your words

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As a writer, and especially as a blogger, your words will be seen by dozens of eyes and evoke positive or negative reactions. If you have a knack or a love for writing as I do you want your words to be able to speak over the chatter of others and make a difference. You want to be heard. So how do you do that? Well besides having a gift you need to pay close attention to your word choice and over and under tones. A writer’s choice of words and overall vocabulary is huge in how a reader will relate to and enjoy the piece as a whole so it’s important to expand your reach with words. Think about times when you hear prominent figures speak or read things they’ve written, it’s easy to pull memorable quotes and points from it because it is so strongly written. Here are a few ways you can beef up your own vocabulary,

Read, read READ!

Reading is an excellent way to expand your word bank. Try and pick up things you wouldn’t typically go for like picking up the Wall Street Journal over the post and instead of reading ABC online read CNN or fox. The larger the publication and the topic the more likely you are to encounter new vocabulary words.

Befriend a thesaurus

Growing up we all learned what a thesaurus was and how to use it but how many of us actually still do? Another way to boost up your word bank is to write an entire blog post and then go back and read it over selecting five or six words you can swap out for another word that will explain it better.

Relearn your skills

This may sound silly but it works. Take up a new understanding of something you’ve become familiar with and relearn how it works. Doing this will help you explain things in a new light and with new words. Being able to explain things in multiple ways makes your vocabulary stronger too.

Overall your choice of words can make or break your piece. If a piece is too choppy or the vocabulary is too loose it makes it hard to read. Think about the things you dislike when you’re reading something and make points to avoid them. Effort in your writing shows and readers will appreciate it, so making your vocabulary bank wealthier can only benefit you.

Blogology 101- Be Relatable

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On any given day you can probably find at least a dozen blogs being advertised and shared on your timeline. How many of those blogs do you actually click on? Now how many do you actually read through to the end?

In today’s day and age just about anyone can start a blog but not just anyone can have a good blog. In order to have a successful blog with a regular audience and following, there are several key points to remember but todays point is being relatable. Have you ever read something and three lines in rolled your eyes and said, “This is ridiculous” and closed the tab? Why was that? Probably because whoever wrote it wrote the blog post either without actual experience on the matter or wrote it completely lopsided and bias. So it’s important to remember a few things when writing a relatable piece,

  1. Transparency – Nobody likes smoke and mirrors so if you’re going to write about a life experience or something that’s happened to you, be honest. If there are key elements of the story you’re missing or can’t share it’s probably best to skip writing about it because your readers will find those cheese holes in the story right away and it’ll probably deter them from reading the rest of the piece and possibly anything else you post. If there’s a life lesson that you want to share but don’t want to get into the nitty-gritty then try your best to zoom in on that one aspect, why it’s important and how it’s able to stand on its own.

 

  1. Don’t be bias– Even though the experience you’re sharing is yours and yours alone you need to be mindful of the fact that the way things played out for you may not be the same for everyone. In fact nobody will see the same two scenarios the same so in order to be successful blogger it’s always better to keep an open mind. Even if you feel super strongly about something try and convey it in a way that says you believe what you believe but you’re aware and respectful of other people’s views.

 

  1. Knowledge– When you’re writing about a current event or something that’s going on in the world make sure you confirm your sources. Check the validity of the information against other sources and use neutral sources that people are less likely to disregard or dislike. For example don’t always use the same source, use several that back up the information you’ve found or have. Building an audiences trust is crucial in getting them to share your work and keep coming back to read it.

All in all people have to feel that they’re reading something that increases their knowledge, helps them through a hard time and isn’t trying to shove something down their throats. In the age of technology more and more people turn to blogs or other online forums for advice before their buy things, before they visit places and when they need advice. If you want to have a blog that pops remember your audience will be diverse so you should be too.

Why I fell in love with blogging

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While I’ve only been blogging formally for about 7 months now it didn’t take me long to realize that blogging was something I was extremely passionate about. Before blogging with The Buzz, I had only mediocre experience blogging, only attempting (and failing) at running my own blog while I was pregnant with my daughter and shortly there after. So when I was asked by a professor if I’d be interested in blogging for the school I was skeptical that I had what it took to be a blogger but my friends encouraged me to give it a shot. I sent in my material and hoped for the best and after an interview I was ecstatic that I’d gotten the position.

I quickly found that blogging for an already established medium was a lot easier than setting up my own blog from scratch. The Buzz was already in motion and already had regular bloggers who I’d be joining and peer editing with. The existing foundation and peer support made jumping into blogging an easy transition and it was really helpful having another set of eyes to look over my work before it went live. Having that additional support gave me confidence in my work and I quickly started promoting what I was doing and the amazing atmosphere of The Buzz itself. I did some research on promoting your brand and building an audience and I was amazed at the response I got.

It didn’t take long to fall in love with and look forward to my weekly posts, I often plotted them out weeks in advance when ideas came to me. I loved blogging because I felt that I had a forum to share my story, my wins and losses and share with or support other young women who’d been in my shoes. I felt like my words would have been a comfort to me had I come across them when I was struggling and I hoped that my words offered comfort to a young mom who was struggling or at a low point in her life. I was surprised however when I realized my blogs were reaching more than just moms and young women but that guys and even fathers were reading too!

The single proudest and heartwarming moment for me though was when a classmate sent me an email that he’d read one of my posts and it gave him the clarity he needed to work on his relationship that he’d previously felt he lost. I was stunned and honored that my words were that powerful to help someone and give him or her insight into a personal situation. It was from that evening on that I was sure I would dedicate myself to blogging in some way shape or form; I wanted my words, my experiences and my success to help motivate and inspire people to chase their dreams. I’m so thrilled to be back for the summer and I hope you’ll join me as I sketch out the steps I took in becoming a successful blogger.