The Ten Commandments of Blogging

blogging
Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Blogging is very serious business, especially when you blog for business. Your first serious gesture is when you register your domain. You have started to make a commitment. The commitment is to your business and to your audience.

In addition to making a commitment to your business and to your audience, you are also making a commitment to the blog itself. You are committing to consistently and persistently sharing valuable content with other people so that they can grow because of what you have given to them. When you first started blogging, you may not have been that comfortable. Perhaps you didn’t know what to say at first and although you might have understood the concept of how important it is to blog on a very regular (and frequent) basis, it may have felt more like a chore than a pleasure for quite a while.

There are several different rules that you should follow and if you do, you will find that your blogging efforts will pay off and you will enjoy a great deal of success.

1. Never use your blog like a personal journal

As easily as you might be able to fall into it, don’t give in to the temptation of using your blog like a personal soapbox or journal. You should use your blog as it was intended. It should be used to share top-quality, educational, informational and compelling content that helps other people to solve their problems.

2. Never, ever steal someone else’s words

People share concepts but they shouldn’t share words. The voice that you use to express your words is what makes you stand out from everyone else. What you need to do is to take the concepts and truly own them. If you do “borrow” from another writer, it is critical that you give him or her the credit that is deserved. The same thing applies to images. You should try to use images that you know don’t below to anyone else. However, if you need to use someone else’s images, make sure that you obtain permission first. Chances are very good that if you ask, the permission will be granted to you.

3. Never leave your blog unattended

There will undoubtedly be times when you don’t feel like blogging. However, remember that you have made a commitment and you must honor that commitment. It isn’t always easy to sit there and get the words to come spilling out. Sometimes, you have to work hard at getting inspired. Never forget that you are committed to making it work.

4. Always express your creativity

You should regard blogging as something extremely important for your business and, at the same time, something fun and creative and very worthwhile that truly helps others to achieve their goals and to get to where they need to be.

5. Tell stories that touch people

It is very important to humanize your blogs. If you want your readers to react on an emotional level, you need to give the story human qualities. Your blogs should contain anecdotes that are humorous and that demonstrate humanism and human qualities. You should also express what you learned as a result of whichever experience you are sharing. If you can learn from experiences, your readers can learn from them too.

6. Use graphic representation

Sometimes, a picture really is worth a thousand words. Of course, you need the combination of the words and the images to really work harmoniously. Many of your readers are bound to be visual people and they will definitely appreciate you helping them to visualize what you are trying to say through words and images.

7. Be open to feedback and improvement

You should definitely encourage your readers to send you feedback. Between the feedback and reading other people’s blog writing, you are are bound to improve your own writing.

8. Excite your audience by what you are writing

If you are going to be a successful blog writer, you will need to successful connect with people. If you can get inside their heads, they will want to connect with you and will want to continue to come back to you time and time again. Ask your readers questions and leave comments that stimulate them and provoke interesting thoughts in them.

9. Encourage people to interact with you

Your relationship with your readers is so important. Part of that relationship means that you need to come through for them if you make them a promise. It is very important for people to not only have a sense of belonging but to feel that whatever they are spending their time on is valuable and will make some sort of difference in their lives.

10. Build your blog audience to a comfortable number

You should encourage your online connections to subscribe to your content. There are so many helpful social media tools that can help you to achieve this with a minimum of effort. It is a very important part of becoming a successful professional blogger.

Conclusion

The art of blogging is not to be taken lightly. If you follow the commandments, you will see that positive results are yours for the taking. It is important to understand that each blog is important in its own way and that there are always pearls of wisdom that can be gleaned from them. Always focus your blog writing on being the best that it can be and on getting your point across in the clearest, most concise and most exciting way possible. As always, online interactions are all about the relationships that you work so hard on establishing and maintaining. Each and every one of those relationships are valuable and important in their own way.

We are pleased to provide you with the insightful comments contained herein. For a free assessment of your online presence, let’s have coffee.

Let's Have Coffee

Author

  • Carolyn Cohn

    Carolyn Cohn is the Co-Founder & Chief Creative Services of CompuKol Communications. Carolyn manages CompuKol’s creative and editorial department, which consists of writers and editors. Her weekly blogs are syndicated globally. She has decades of editorial experience in online editing, and editing books, journal articles, abstracts, and promotional and educational materials. Carolyn earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the State University of New York (SUNY) at Buffalo.

16 Responses

  1. Lance Uppercut says:

    This was really interesting. Although I don’t necessarily agree or disagree with number one, personal stories are something interesting and real that can really spice up your blog. I know the number one and two most viewed posts on my site are me reflecting back on an exgirlfriend. Give that dramatic value as you will, but it still stuck pretty well with whatever my audience is. You also have to take in the fact that not everybody wants to use blogging as a business, and there’s such a thing as life blogging or hobby blogging where people just do it for the kicks. I believe that’s me, at least until I get around to monetizing. Maybe someday. But overall really good work. You hit on all the points I would recommend for somebody wanted to be successful in the blogging world. Keep at it.

    -Lance

  2. K'Lee Banks says:

    Thanks for a great list of tips, Carolyn! I think the ones I most struggle with are #3, #9, and #10! I am really hoping to manage my time better and change my perspective about blogging so I can blog consistently,interact with those who do take time to comment, and build my blog audience! Thanks again – bookmarked! 🙂

  3. Jennifer Pillowtaylor says:

    Via LinkedIn Groups
    Group: Writers World
    Discussion: The Ten Commandments of Blogging

    These commandments are for specific kinds of blogs.

    A blog is just short for ‘web log’ which began as diary or semi-diary style features on the web. Today, many mention personal problems, musings, and stories, but also many don’t tell stories or anything creative, but something educational.

    Lastly, most blogs don’t include graphics as they tend to be a minimalistic medium.
    By Jennifer Pillowtaylor

  4. HMC says:

    I think that Carolyn was spot on when it comes to business blogs. After all, it's about networking, SEO and making sales. Thanks Carolyn.

  5. Deb Hirsch says:

    Via LinkedIn Groups
    Group: Writers World
    Discussion: The Ten Commandments of Blogging

    I’ve had a blog for a while on healthcare but I recently started blogging about mental health and the Newtown massacre (I live nearby) and pageviews shot up.
    By Deb Hirsch

  6. Kimmy McCann says:

    Via LinkedIn Groups
    Group: NAMM (National Association of Music Merchants)
    Discussion: The Ten Commandments of Blogging

    No. Blogging is not serious. That is the first mistake. Blogging is the self being disclosed as pure ego. If we try to be anything else, we have manipulated the whole purpose. But then again, this is advertising. A grand monopoly on cleverness that is only partial to mass consumption. Can we be honest enough to say: ” I choose words, to emphasis a message, I hope reaches mass acceptance, and makes my employer the most money?”
    By Kimmy McCann

  7. Martha M Moravec says:

    Via LinkedIn Groups
    Group: Informed Ideas For Writers
    Discussion: The Ten Commandments of Blogging

    Concise, elegant and helpful advice. Thanks, Carolyn.
    By Martha M Moravec

  8. Richard Crasta says:

    Via LinkedIn Groups
    Group: Informed Ideas For Writers
    Discussion: The Ten Commandments of Blogging

    It looks nice, but I am not sure all of us have this as our purpose for the blog:
    It should be used to share top-quality, educational, informational and compelling content that helps other people to solve their problems.

    A creative writer does not look upon himself as a problem solver. Maybe a psychotherapist, a school guidance counselor, a vocational counselor, or an arbitration expert does, but not someone who is writing humor, fiction, and who is trying to make sense of his own life through his writing.
    By Richard Crasta

  9. William Scotti says:

    Via LinkedIn Groups
    Group: NAMM (National Association of Music Merchants)
    Discussion: The Ten Commandments of Blogging

    Blogging allows for proper presentation, exposure and visibility. Like the author of a book it is up to the individual to narrate their story about anything and everything. Important to the author and if well received accepted and purchased by the end user. If this is a great idea, innovation, product or service sought after by the masses. The business has made an important contribution to society and the audience targeted will reward the creator.
    By William Scotti

  10. Sandy Penny says:

    Via LinkedIn Groups
    Group: Professional Writers
    Discussion: The Ten Commandments of Blogging

    I liked your article, but I find it interesting that blogging originated as pretty much a stream of consciousness and opinions of the writers, personal journals. Blogging for business is certainly a different animal, and you have offered great advice for that kind of blog. Isn’t it amazing how fast that has evolved?
    By Sandy Penny

  11. Patsy Bell Hobson says:

    Via LinkedIn Groups
    Group: Informed Ideas For Writers
    Discussion: The Ten Commandments of Blogging

    I like the list. True, Richard, it is not a “one size fits all” post. I like the soft sell and the relaxed “Lets have coffee.”
    By Patsy Bell Hobson

  12. Suzanne Grenager says:

    Via LinkedIn Groups
    Group: Informed Ideas For Writers
    Discussion: The Ten Commandments of Blogging

    I resonate with Richard’s comment about many of us using our blogs to “make sense of our own life” and, I would add in my case, to be an altogether human example of what living a self-aware, transparent, vulnerable and compassionate life can look like, which is often messy! Rather than giving guidance, my work — my book and blog — is all about encouraging us to love and trust ourselves enough to discern the path that’s exactly right for us and no one else. Thank you, Carolyn, for starting this compelling conversation!
    By Suzanne Grenager

  13. Tim Schoch says:

    Via LinkedIn Groups
    Group: Informed Ideas For Writers
    Discussion: The Ten Commandments of Blogging

    Very nice piece, Carolyn. And yes, what you describe is certainly one side of blogging, and a very responsible one.

    I have two blogs, each for a different purpose, both to showcase how I think and to motivate interaction and conversations. Neither blog is commercial, so this is not a promotion. My golf blog is golf commentary, opinion, and humor. I poke fun at a stuffy sport I love in an insider’s way. My new writers blog I hope to be more kinetic, emotionally oriented, sharing experiences on the roots of my writing and thinking, exploring different ways to look at things and write about things. Ultimately I will promote my books and short stories here, and perhaps even do a few book reviews in the style of the site.

    There is a nice quote from Maya Angelou that I always try to keep in mind when I am writing for someone else’s benefit (which I do 99% of the time): “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
    By Tim Schoch

  14. Labann says:

    Thank God, or Some Other Deity/Demon, that writers worth reading violate all of Carolyn’s edicts. If the internet proves anything it’s that there are no rules. Even conventions in writing only exist so readers aren’t totally lost in this sea of inanity.

    The biggest mistake any writer makes is that her/his writing has value. What we think of as literature today is a recent phenomenon. Word on paper used to be only for communications among clerics, courtiers and monarchs. It wasn’t until the late 18th Century that commoners got involved. About 97% of it still serves corporate, political or religious agendas, often cleverly disguised as blogs, comments and posts.

    What blogs OUGHT to be about is beauty and truth. Even those with cartoons, humor, or opinion can be downright entertaining if totally wrong. What of blogs devoted to fiction? Listen to Carolyn at your peril!

  15. Tim Windhof says:

    Via LinkedIn Groups
    Group: Professional Writers
    Discussion: The Ten Commandments of Blogging

    I wish I would have read the first commandment a few months earlier…
    By Tim Windhof

  16. Marahm says:

    Though I don’t agree with all the points, for the reasons cited by other commenters, I’d like to add another commandment:

    11. Never allow a commenter (or commenters) to run off another commenter with insults and personal attacks because he/she offers a position differing from the majority.

    I used to comment frequently on a popular blog, but gave it up because a group of other readers posted insulting comments aimed at me and the content of my comments, even though I was always polite and respectful of the original position. The blog owner never defended me, leading me to believe that she didn’t care whether I followed her blog or not. Maybe she didn’t, so now I don’t, and her blog now reflects only endorsements of what she has written.