Writing Effective Posts

I’ve been learning a few things to include in posts that have really helped make my posts more interesting and get more views. They’re pretty easy to do and help turn an interesting post into a big success!

1. Include pictures! I’ve been using http://www.sxc.hu/ to find photos. I grab the url directly from the page to cut down on storage for my blog. Be sure that the pictures you use are licensed or else you might have problems. Stock.Xchng has several types of photos, and some require that you notify or ask permission from the artist for any public work.
2. Add links. Chances are that someone else has written a post about your subject or something like it. Adding links to their post (especially if you quote them) brings them in on the topic and increases your post’s visibility. Everybody likes to be quoted or have their work highlighted! Here are some other posts about better blogging: http://www.problogger.net/archives/2008/07/10/nine-signs-of-an-effective-blog-post/ , http://marketing.about.com/od/marketingmethods/tp/blogmarketing.htm
3. Ask questions. Don’t you want to hear what your readers have to say about what you wrote? If your work is all info with no questions, they might not. To encourage replies and dialogue, ask some questions.
4. Speak your own words. If you read your blog post out loud, do you sound like yourself or do you sound like a weirdo? Share your personality, not your writing proficiency. We visited your post to hear what you have to say. If we wanted cold, lifeless instructions we’d go to the airport.

I  know I missed some! What makes your blog posts sparkle? What about your posts reflects who you are?