Melody from Melody’s Reading Corner has tagged me to do the Blogging Tips Meme. I don’t typically talk about anything non-book related on here but I thought this might be of some interest to anyone that comes here as most visitors have their own blog. The more information we can get about blogs and blogging can be helpful. On the flip side of this I really don’t know much about blogging or points of interest for anyone that does blogging or is looking for some pointers. I’ll try as best as I can to give a few points about blogging, and I’ll use this as a platform to discuss what I’ve learned since I started blogging.
- Selecting a Host: This is one mistake that I made when I started this blogging exercise. I was really excited to get into the whole blog thing that I didn’t do my research before starting. There are so many different blog hosts out there on the internet that it can be very overwhelming when it comes down to selecting the host that works best for you. I started at one site but it just wasn’t able to do all that I wanted it to so I switched to wordpress. I’m so glad that I did because I can do so much more here than I was able to do at my old site.
- Respond to Comments: There are few things that irritate me more than leaving a comment on a persons blog and not getting a response. It doesn’t matter how you respond to you a comment, and in fact there are a few ways you can, just please respond. You can respond via email or leave a comment within the comment section. Whichever you chose to do be consistent with what you do and let your readers know how you will respond to comments (probably in your about section). When I leave a comment I always go back to the post to see if there has been a response and if they don’t it tends to take a longer than usual time before I’ll leave a comment again. I used to not comment on my blog and I felt that I was losing contact with my readers. It doesn’t take long to post a response and it’s just courteous to reply to those people that take the time to respond to your post.
- Why Post like That?: I don’t understand why some people take the time to post that they are behind on their blogging rather than post one of the many blog ideas you have stored in your memory bank. It doesn’t make sense to me to do that when you have other things, that are probably of greater interest than telling us you are behind.
- Keep it Personal: I find the most interesting posts are the ones that the writer reveals something about themselves. It’s important to keep the blog specific but if you relate something personal within the post I find it a better read.
I’m not going to tag anyone, rather I’ll leave it up to anyone that reads this to post their own tips if they feel so inclined. It doesn’t hurt to know more about how you can go about improving your blog. I’ll thank everyone in advance for posting their tips. And if you do posts some tips please leave your link in the comments section.
That's the Book! 
I totally agree with you on all your points, but I’ll just make some quick comments:
In regards to your #1, it is important to choose the right host. I love love love wordpress, and the fact that we can’t put javascript in our templates does not detract from a very nice format that I rarely see on other blogs hosted by others. (did that make sense?)
In regards to your #2, I agree with this 95%. Only 95% because I have to be honest, I don’t respond to every single comment. I really like editing the comment and putting my comment in bold at the bottom, but lately I’ve taken to responding to the comment via email. I’m more lax about not responding to friends I actually correspond with (Books on the Brain), and sometimes I don’t respond because I just don’t have anything to say. I know, I know, not a good excuse. But your reminder is a good kick in the butt for me. 🙂 HOWEVER, while I used to go back and check for a reply to my comment, I don’t anymore because I post too many comments and I just can’t keep up. 😀
In regards to your #3, I have only posted one post about how I had a few reviews backing up, but it was only to say, I’m reading instead of blogging. I actually try to type of posts as I think of them, so right now I have at least 10 drafts in my arsenal. Some are book related, some not. But when I go on my honeymoon, you can bet those posts will be coming out!
In regards to #4, this is so important and I think some people are hesitant to share personal things. I don’t know why, but my absolute favorite blogs pretty much have quite a bit of personal stuff in them. It makes me feel I’m not the only crazy person in this world. 🙂
I have some ideas, but I’ll wait and see as this meme goes around.
Aaron, thanks for playing! 🙂
I so agree with you on #1. I didn’t do any research when choosing a host initially and it was only after that I had registered with a host and started blogging did I realize there are a few hosts available out there as well! As for comments, I always try to reply to anyone who responded to my posts, not only it’s a polite way to do so but it’s good interaction too.
I mostly agree with your points. For #1, I have to say using your own host is so much more convenient than blogger. I had a blog on my own host and I thought I’d just see if Blogger was easier to use. No way–so few options. For #2, I agree with Trish that not all comments need to be answered, but I think it’s a nice touch when we get the chance. For #3, I agree: I imagine we all have so many blog entries to read every day, I don’t want to waste my time reading about how someone doesn’t have time to write what they want to write. Either post something worthwhile or don’t post today. I’m not sitting and waiting for you! For #4, I do think it’s nice to learn about a person. It’s hard to find a balance, though. My reading blog is not my personal blog and I’m endeavoring to keep some separation from my personal life. It’s just a different audience. I read book blogs for book info and discussion, not to learn someone’s life history. There’s a balance.
One thing I love is Subscribe to Comments. Only going back and reading the other post did I realize you’d responded to my comment! I’m with Trish….I don’t remember to go back and check for follow-up and I’m used to just reading follow-up comments in my email. Subscribe to comments doesn’t always work, though, depending on your server, etc. I don’t know if you can do it on wordpress.com.
Rebecca: Thanks, I agree with both you and Trish on the comments thing. I don’t respond to comments that simply say great post because there is really nothing that can be said to that. And I think if I were getting a lot more comments than I do I may become selective in how I respond to comments but right now I enjoy responding…even if they don’t come back and read what I have to say. I also struggle with the person issue, but I like to try and have it there it makes it more enjoyable to write and read.
Trish: Yeah, ever site has it’s issues but I’m enjoying wordpress much more than my previous host. I do wish I could change the font on my site but I can live without that. In regards to comments I did comment above, but I’d also like to say I really like that feature on wordpress that shows where you’ve commented and links back to those comments. Makes going back really easy. It’s okay to post that you are reading or doing something other than blogging, I just don’t like when I show up on a site and they say something along the lines of “I’m really behind and I’ll eventually catch up, I might even post latter on in the day. So, look for new posts coming soon.” That really gets my goat!
Melody: I think that’s the most important thing that I’ve learned since I started this whole blogging thing. And responding to comments can create some great discussion.
Thanks for posting your blogging tips! Tips that absolutely anyone can use. I like to respond to comments, and I find myself going back to other blogs much more frequently when I see that the blogger responds to my comments. I like when bloggers talk about personal stories as well, I think it makes blogging more fun. I definitely try not to just up and complain on my blog about how behind I am… it gets boring after a while. Well your advice is great! And I’ve been enjoying your blog.
I can be a slob about responding to comments on my blog, so I’ll take your suggestion to heart.
Agree with you totally when people get on and whine about they haven’t had time to blog. Shut up and write something good.
Working in a personal story does make for more interesting reading.
Wonderful tips, Aaron!
Bybee: It seems this suggestion about comments has been more helpful than I thought. Yes, I don’t think it could have been said better.
Kim L: Thank you for your response. It seems like these few things make for a much more pleasurable reading experience for all.
I’m glad that you’ve been enjoying my blog, I enjoy writing it.
I answered the tips with some of my own here.
I’ve been very lax about leaving comments on other people’s blogs — it seemed rather presumptuous to me. And I seldom responded to comments left on my blog because I felt the guest should have the last word. But in the past couple of days it’s been brought to my attention that I need to be more interactive, so this turns out to be a timely post even though it’s fourteen months old.