Sep. 1, 2009 - Basics to Blogging 2: Entries

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Hey everyone!

Today we're going to be talking about writing entries. Possibly the biggest part of blogging.

First of all, there is ALWAYS something to write about. The purpose of a blog is not to astound and amaze everyone who reads it, it's to let them know what you think and what your life is all about.

Here are some things to blog about:

1. A thought or a belief you've been thinking about a lot recently
   
2. Something cool you wrote down in your journal (I'm starting to do this more and more)
   
3. Anything interesting that happened today. It could be anything. Make the little things sound big, without lying. Instead of just saying "So today wasn't much fun... didn't really do much. I had my friend Joanna over, but after that I just goofed off. so what's up with everyone?
   Say something like:
   "Hey everyone! How are you today? Today my friend Joanna came over. We weren't going to have her over at first because we thought we had some errands to run, but then mommy's work ended up taking longer than previously expected, so I got to have a friend over instead! Unfortunately, because we didn't do errands today, the converse I was going to buy have to wait until tomorrow. :( *tear tear* So when Joanna was over, we watched lots of Bob Smiley videos. Go to tangle.com and check out his stuff! it's pretty funny!" and like that.
   See how much more fun that is to read? Both of those are about today. Say the little things, like how we couldn't go out for errands. It makes your day sound more real, if you know what I mean.
   
4. what you learned in devotions or in church/youth group. These are always a great thing to post! However, if you're going to post devotions, it's probably a good idea to make sure they're pretty short. Most people want to stop by your blog fast, read your entry, and then comment. Keep devotions down to like 2 paragraphs. Then explain how you see it. It gets some good converstaions going!
   
5. what you've written. Poetry, songs, short stories--anything! Just post it, and see what people think of it. the more people read it and like it, the more you'll be inspired to write more! it's a win-win situation.

Ok, so now what NOT to write:

1. Do not write entries that are simply one word spaced out through the entire page. I have actually seen an entry that said "JJJJJOOOOONAAAAAAASSSSS BBRRRROOOOOOOTTTTTHHEEEEERRS" only for llike 5 pages. Don't do this. It's better to not write at all than to write this.
   
2. Don't spend three pages explaining every little thing you bought on a giant shopping spree. If you mention a couple things it's fine, but no one wants to read a ton of lists of stuff you bought. Instead, write about the experience whereever you went. Not the booty.
   
3. Try your hardest to use proper grammar, punctuation, and spelling at all times. It makes stuff SO much easier--and fun--to read, and people are 10 times more likely to stop and read your blog if you use proper grammar. It says "Hey look guys! I have something interesting to tell you, and I know how to write, so you'll probably get something out of it." even if that's not what you're saying personally.

So that's basically it. One thing I can't stress enough:

Always--and I mean ALWAYS--use proper grammar, punctuation and spelling!

That is the most important part of writing entries.

So go and blog! write those posts! Have fun while you're at it!

BeCcA

Aug. 7, 2009 - Basics to Blogging: Part 1

The basics to starting a successful blog that has both readers and friends are the following:

1 Your Description
2 Writing a decent entry
3 Commenting Back
4 Choosing the right template

We will focus on the first one today.

Basics to Blogging part 1: Your profile and Description

The Descriptions

A description is a great way to let people know what you blog about, or a little bit about you without them actually having to read a bunch of entries. It's like a summary of your entire blog. I'm going to guide you through some fast "dos and don'ts"

1. Don't let descriptions go too long. They should be somwhere between 3-8 sentences in length.
2. Use proper grammar and spelling. Which one sounds and looks better of these two:
   "hi my name is chelsea im 11 +luv msic + god + yeah so w/e reed my blog!!!!!!!!!! yaaay!!!!!!!! lol lol lololololololol!!!!!!!! i <3 comentz. leeve comentz. itll make me happyyyyyyyy!!!!!!!!!! :D D :D:D :D :D :D :D :D :D D :D D :D D:D D:D D: D: D:D " *
   or
   "Hi! My name is Chelsea. I'm 11, and I love music and God. Please read my blog! Also, I love comments, so would be really happy if you'd leave some. ;)"
   * (I actually found a blog that had a description almost exactly like this. I changed the name. O.o you'll find that you come across a lot like the first one.)
3. Don't put exclamation points at the end of everything. Look at this description:
   "Hi! I'm Claire and I have three siblings!!!!!!!! I'm living life for the Lord!!!!!!! I'll be posting pictures on here!!!!!!! I'm 14 years old!!!!! My youngest sister, Tiffany has a blog too!!!!! check it out!!!! it's on my links!!!!! Hope you like my blog!!!!!"
   this would be a perfectly fine description. But there are too many exclamation points. honestly, I've found some like this too.
4. If you don't know what to write, you can just add some lyrics from a song or a quote that you like.

(everything above is about the description for your blog itself. Not for your profile. Your profile follows the same rules, except it can be much longer.)

That's all for now. Thanks for reading! I'll be posting part 2 of the basics to blogging series soon.

Becca

Jul. 25, 2009 - About the Complete Newbie Guide