John Chow’s Top 10 Blogging Mistakes - A Closer Look Pt. 2

Hopefully you’ve been able to read what I wrote in the previous post about the first 3 mistakes and really think about why they are common mistakes. Also, as a reminder, I have gotten permission from John Chow himself to post this blog as it’s an analysis of his post. Here we go with a closer look at the next 3 mistakes:

Mistake #4 - Not Being Personal

Like John said, what’s the point of creating a blog if you’re not going to have a different take from what I can read on any one of those robotic-like websites? Give your blog a little personality and flair. Use pictures of yourself to give your readers a sense of who you are, so that your readers can put a face to your blog. Don’t be afraid to use your quirky sense of humor or nasty level of sarcasm. Also, an important thing to remember is to give your blog a makeover with unique color/font/layout combinations so that when people visit your blog, they know it’s YOUR blog!

Mistake #5 - Being a Copycat

No matter what people say, a blog is a direct reflection of you and this is what makes your blog unique from any other blog on the net. Most blogs aren’t meant to report the news, most blogs are meants as a conduit to expressing your opinions about the news. For example, instead of just copying what John Chow had to say about Top 10 Blogging Mistakes, I decided to write a more in depth article about each point he had to make. The difference between this article and another article that just copies John’s list is that I’m offering my opinion on it. This is what makes my blog mine. So, when you’re writing your blog, the best advice that I’ve been given is to just write and not worry about grammar mistakes and/or spelling mistakes and/or run-on sentences. Just let your thoughts flow through your fingers, then after you are done, go back and clean it up. Your end result will be unique and something that people will want to read.

Mistake #6 - Not replying to comments

This is a pretty simple concept to grasp as we have all gone through experiences where we’ve been introduced to new people and if no one talks to us, we are more disinclined to want to go back to that group function. The same thing happens at a blog. If your readers have taken the time to introduce themselves and offer their opinions on your blog, the courteous thing to do is respond to their inquiry or greeting. It’s like the golden rule says - Treat Others as You would like to be treated! As your blog becomes more inviting, more readers will be inclined to start posting their thoughts - think snowball effect. Once this happens, your blog grows and a community is formed.

Tip - Here are two wordpress plugins that help increase your comments - Brian’s Threaded Comments & Top Commentator Plugin

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In the next and final part 3 of this series, we will be finishing up with the last 4 Common Mistakes most bloggers make when starting their blogs.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3