Being a Better Blogger: Judging Your Effectiveness
One step to being a better blogger is knowing the standards by which you judge yourself.
Oh, there are plenty of other people’s standards that you could go by. You could look at your traffic. You could measure number of comments and hot topics.
But all of that leaves a bad taste in my mouth and here’s why: I blog because a like it.
I’m a writer, and blogging lets me write. It’s a short and easy way to be published. It’s a way to interact with others, which is what I long for, many times.
Judging the effectiveness of your blog depends, first and foremost, on what standards you’re using. So let’s come up with some, shall we?
If you’re a writer, the writing should be good. Period.
If you need editorial help (some of us are better at self-editing than others), consider joining a group blog or a webpage where there’s an editor involved. Alternatively, you might ask someone to serve as your editor and to read/edit your stuff before you put it out there live on the internet.
Be passionate. Be interested. Be interesting.
Do people enjoy reading what you write? To some extent, this is an opinion, but there’s also a consideration here that’s worth your time.
If you are serious about writing–and since this is the Catholic Writers Guild, I gotta think you are–then it’s worth investing the time to be relevant and interesting to your audience.
Know who’s reading.
This isn’t meant to be tricky, but you should have an idea who’s reading your writing online. If you’re not sure, then compile a sample person.
Just as I do with a book proposal, I try to think of a specific person–or a couple of specific people–who I know are reading my blog. I even sometimes go so far as to name them: Sally, for example, is a sleep-deprived mom who has a baby on her hip and appreciates that I take the time to read books for her, so she doesn’t have to waste her time on them (not that I ever post a bad review, mind you), while George reads because he found my last article in the diocesan paper amusing and we both live in Ohio.
Don’t get me wrong: I write my blog for me, not for anyone else (and I know this about myself). It’s my outlet. But I still have an idea who reads. (It helps with those aforementioned book proposals, too.)
Now, I’m outta time for writing this post.
Your turn: how do you judge your effectiveness? What questions have I raised with this post?
image source: Sid’s Side
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Sarah Reinhard is the author of Welcome Baby Jesus: Advent and Christmas Reflections for Families. You’ll find more of Sarah at her blog, SnoringScholar.com. You can also connect with her on Twitter and Facebook.
Sarah Reinhard is the author of Welcome Baby Jesus: Advent and Christmas Reflections for Families. You’ll find more of Sarah at her blog, SnoringScholar.com. You can also connect with her on Twitter and Facebook.
Latest posts by Sarah Reinhard (see all)
- Seal of Approval 3rd Quarter 2013 Notice - June 27, 2013
- A closer look at blogging stats and how to improve them - May 8, 2013
- The simple steps to getting a blog - April 24, 2013
What can I say? I like my posts. And the few people who read them like them too. I guess I just have to be patient and hope for a larger audience.