Hartford Courant: Making Your Blog Fly

It seems as if everyone is blogging today. But as the blogosphere becomes more crowded, how can the average blogger stand out?

The answer, it seems, is five key ingredients for creating a blog that will attract readers and keep them coming back.

1. Make It a Genuine Expression. A recent survey by the Pew Internet & American Life Project determined most bloggers (77 percent) use the digital format to express themselves creatively - and not to promote themselves or a cause. Indeed, one of the Web's most notable bloggers stresses the lack of pretense as a key to a successful blog.

"You have to be honest - that's the most important element," says Mark Cuban, owner and president of the Dallas Mavericks and HDNet, answering a question sent to his blog (www.blogmaverick.com).

Never use the blog as an advertisement. Steve Cody, managing partner at the New York public relations agency Peppercom, has an extra set of eyes checking his RepMan blog (www.repmanblog.com) to prevent it from becoming a sales tool.

"We're not trying to sell Peppercom in any way, shape or form," he says. "In fact, I've got an internal group who looks at the blogs before they go out. And they'll slap me on the wrists and say: `Hey, you're trying to sell crisis communications services here.' They will reject it, which is pretty cool."

2. Check Out the Competition. There is no shame in getting inspiration from other blogs - not only from the good blogs, but also the less-than-successful ones (in order to know what mistakes to avoid). If you are new to blogging, take some time to see which blogs work and which don't.

"The best blogs are often authored by people who are avid blog readers themselves," says Andrew Foote, a New York DJ who incorporates music podcast tracks and blog commentary into his illJazz site (http://illjazz.blogspot.com). "The blogosphere is very community-oriented, so the bloggers who visit other blogs, engage in thoughtful discussions and share information will be more visible than the ones who sit idle. It's Socialization 101."

3. Realize That Someone Will Be Reading This. Are you writing a blog for personal amusement, or do you genuinely plan to say something profound to a global Web audience? It helps to know where you are heading with the blog - and how you plan to reach that destination using the blog's language.

"Remember that your blog can't be everything to everybody," says Brandi North Williams, public information officer for the City of Charlotte (N.C.) Solid Waste Services, who recently started her own blog (http://brandiwilliamsapr.squarespace.com).

"You have to keep your audience in mind when you are developing topics and writing," she says. "Blogs are a form of social media, so you don't have to be extremely chatty, and they actually allow you to reach a larger audience in a more personal way. Just remember that you don't want to be too chatty. Keep your content personable but professional."

4. Don't Bore Your Readers. Many people use blogs as the Web-based equivalent of a diary. But most diarists are not in a league with Samuel Pepys, the 17th-century diarist, let alone the modern-day diaristAna?Nin - and running an online inventory of a day's activities will not ensure blogging success.

"What I am sick of reading is drunk stories, sex gone bad/breakup stories, men/women suck rants or narcissistic attempts to suck compliments," says Gina Morsch, who writes Queen Big Hair's World (www.queenbighair.blogspot.com) from her home in Carbondale, Ill. "What makes a good blog is like what makes a good book: a unique voice, descriptive without being long winded, and a great story (fact or fiction)."