How to Create a Popular Blogs, Part I

I am a power blogger. I blog daily, many times a day, and I'm totally addicted to it. I love the comments, the feedback, and of course, I kind of like the money I'm able to make from a few of my blogs too. Blogging is the way to go today if you want to communicate. Blogs work better than email lists for relaying information, and they are also fun, entertaining, and a great way to get to know other people or study human behavior. For a writer, they're also great fodder for writing!

I have been asked several time how to have a successful blog. My methods are tried and true, tested and retested, and I have discovered what does and does not work for a blog to be successful. Whether you write a blog for fun or for business, you probably want people to come and read your blog, right? For some, blogging is just a hobby; for others, it is a profession.

Either way, let's start with some good advice for blogging that works for everyone, no matter what type of blog you are going to have, business or personal.

• Paragraphs are our friends. If I'm going to read your blog and it's three pages long, it is much easier to do so if there is at least ONE paragraph break in your writing. Any time you change a thought or subject, put a break there - otherwise, it's hard to read and people will only skim or not read it at all.
  
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• Punctuation is also our friend. I'm to the point where I simply won't read a post that has no commas or periods. Hint - try going back and reading your own post out loud and see if it makes sense to you without punctuation.
  
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• ALL CAPS is not only hard to read, but it's deemed to be used as emphasis when you want ONE word or phrase to really STAND OUT, because it's easier to see on a screen than bolded text, but not for the entire post. Not only is it bad etiquette, it is really hard on the eyes and hard to read. For those who don't know, it is also considered to be virtual "shouting".
  
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• All right, I'll admit, I like a little color in the fonts, but for the love of the rainbow, you need to make sure the color you choose doesn't 1) match the background you have so you can't read it without highlighting it 2) isn't too dark so again, you can't read it without highlighting it, and 3) if it makes my eyes go buggy when read (like neon yellow) people probably won't make it through the post.
  
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• This one is a personal pet peeve, and I guess I can't really ask anyone to change as it seems to be becoming the norm, not the exception. I realize that people thing internet short hand is cool. BUT, if UR goin 2 rite like this 2 me, UR not goin 2 get me to read UR page. My brain doesn't work that way (or at least it doesn't want to). Got an IM the other day: What UR up 2? Most people's brains don't work this way either. It's great for typing on text messages where space and money is limited to the letter, but not on a blog where you have plenty of space to write out the real words.
  
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• Weird fonts. I don't mind weird fonts, as long as I can read them. There are some fonts out there that blur things, are fuzzy or just plain hard to read - usually puffy bold fonts are not the best choice. Remember, not everyone's browser and screen resolution is the same, and your fonts may not show up the way you choose them for everyone. Choosing a more basic font ensures the most viewers will see your content the way you intended it.
  
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• Layout and colors are good for a blog, and choosing the style of the layout to match your personality, your flare is a good idea. However, be sure when you do that the colors are not hard on your eyes. You want a person to stay on your blog as long as possible, to read a lot of your content, or to stay longer to click on your links. They won't do that if the colors are not pleasing to the eye. Also, make sure that the colors on your blog background don't hurt their eyes when they switch back to a regular webpage too.
  
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The main rule: read your own page like you were someone else. Would YOU read YOUR posts?

These are just a few tips to help you make your blog more attractive, more appealing to visitors upon first glance. I'll be writing more in the coming days about ways to really increase your readership and page views, but the foundation for any good blog is to make it appealing, attractive, and then interesting. It won't matter what your content is if the viewer just gets turned off by the look of your blog before ever reading it.

There are a ton of blog sites out there, literally thousands and thousands from which to choose. As I said earlier, I have about 8 different blogs I update regularly and about five more I play with from time to time. Every time I find a new one that seems promising, I try it out and see how it works, and then decide whether or not to add it to my list.

Google for them and find a site that seems to work for you, one that you are comfortable navigating and doesn't require too much of your time to set it up so you can focus on your actual blogging, and then have fun.