There's a lot of blogs out there on the Web, most of which
don't entice one to go back regularly to read updates. What is missing
from these on-line journals that would essentially make them 'good' blogs?
Well, the answers in life usually come down to simplicities. So let's look
at the problem like we were children. Children don't complicate life with
miscellaneous information, and when they speak they tell you straight to
the point exactly how they feel and think about a subject. First of all,
we should ask the questions," Why do blogs exist? And what are they here
for?" Well, in an ideal world 'good' blogs would help people connect,
sharing knowledge and feelings about issues in life. As they are journals
written by individuals we would hope that they'd be readable and open to
comment by all other people, not just a select group of friends. The key
is speaking in a way that is understandable by the masses, get rid of
acronyms and local slang that only few will comprehend. Keep the sentences
grammatically simple and generally short and concise. Try to write in
your blog as often as possible because if people enjoy reading your
thoughts and ideas they'll want to communicate or at least be filled in
regularly on 'your world'. Ask questions, comment on other blogs of
similar content, start communities with others you've never met, based on
your interests. Keep focused; if your blog is about thoughts on war and
peace, keep your thoughts on the latest movie and how hungry you are for
somewhere else. The idea is to incite intelligent communication so that in
time our collective stockpile of knowledge and wisdom will gradually grow
like a tree in fertile soil. I think of most importance is the fact that
you want this journal to be 'good' reading. Of course we all have ideas
about what genres and styles we like, but writing from your heart and soul
is imperative for the connection with others that you're looking for.
Share yourself; don't hide behind walls of fear of ridicule and judgment.
In real life relationships trust, respect, intimacy, and unity are all
necessary for a bond to form. It's the same in the 'virtual' world; people
want to hear from real people-not just one-sided, highly opinionated
arguments from egos that don't want to hear the 'other side of the coin'.
Now, in my last article I really tore apart most writers out there, and
here I'm giving some pretty complex ideas on how to fix the problem of
'bad' writing. In my next article I'll attempt to go back to the simple
basics of how to write for beginners. I hope I haven't come across as too
judgmental, I just truly believe the 'blog world' could become a real
asset to humanity, and at the moment it's missing the mark. Ideas about
sentence structure, grammar, paragraphing, using a thesaurus (varying
terms used so as not to sound repetitive), whether or not your blog is
suitable for a personal or professional approach, are all important to
creating a simple and enjoyable read for the blogging visitor. If you are
a beginner, please check out my next article on the basics.
Jesse S. Somer
M6.Net
http://www.m6.net
Jesse S. Somer is a writer hoping to help potential bloggers to write
interesting and informative on-line journals.
