This week I’ve asked our panel of bloggers to provide advice to new bloggers.  Pay attention, newbies.  These tips will make your blog not suck…

The exact question was:

What advice would you give to someone that is just starting a blog?

Here’s the responses:

Tia from Clever Girl Goes Blog:

When I first started my blog, I had no idea what I was doing.

(I still don’t. Seriously.)

Somewhere along the way, I found my voice. I choose to write my blog about my life, and I do it semi-anonymously to protect the identity of the innocents, mostly Hubs. Any man who is okay with stories about his farting posted on the internet deserves as much privacy as possible.

I think the most important thing about blogging is honesty. You’re giving people a window into your life, and it’s for the whole world to see. I love to read blogs that are real. Real love, real life, real problems, real pain. Those blogs are the most interesting. Anyone can tell a story. It’s telling stories that keep people coming back that’s the hard part.

So my advice to the newbie blogger is this:

1. Make sure your site is eye catching and easy to read.
2. It takes awhile to get regular readers. Don’t get discouraged!
3. Write for yourself. The comments, the links…that part is just gravy.

Don’t be afraid to put it out there. That’s what makes it yours, and that’s what makes it art. Happy blogging!

Ali from Cheaper Than Therapy:

i have an answer for this one! i have an answer!

please please please don’t use a white font on a dark background. it’s too hard to read. i read exactly three blogs that are white on black (yeah right…i will NEVER tell which ones!) and i don’t have enough eye energy to read any others!

Black Hockey Jesus from The Wind In Your Vagina:

I think you need to blow yourself away with what you write. If you’re not completely excited about what you just wrote, you’re not done. You should be on your own edge. You should look at it and say “I can’t believe I just wrote that shit!” It will certainly annoy your loved ones, but they know you’re a writer. They know you’re a self-absorbed pain in the ass. They’ve learned to live with you. When I smash a coffee mug against the wall and scream “I can’t believe I just wrote that shit”, my wife will usually make a disgusted face and say “Dude. Get over yourself.” It does sound arrogant, but if it doesn’t impress you, why would it impress others. Like a parent showing of pics of kids, you should want to show people what you wrote. If you don’t, you’re not done. If you read your own stuff and shrug your shoulders, well, WTF?

Reading is one of my life’s greatest joys. I like to read things that make my head explode. In turn, I feel obligated to explode your head. You should imagine the kind of writing that you like the best, ask yourself what you like about, write that way, but only make it better. You should write what you want to read.

And don’t piss off your family.

Jenn from Free and Flawed:

Determine what type of blogger you want to be. Anonymous, themed, etc. It’s difficult to go from being a very public blogger to anonymous so choose wisely and choose early! Be true to yourself. If you’re in it for the money, fine, but if you’re writing for you, don’t let the pressure get to you. It’s your blog, your voice. Just because those who read you liked a certain post more than another doesn’t mean to fill up your blog with only one thing.

Be patient! Huge readership doesn’t happen over night. Reading and commenting on other blogs will help increase your readership. Personally I think it’s better to have a small group of close readers than a large group of strangers. The community you develop with your blog is priceless. Use social media to your advantage. Post links to your blog on Twitter, Facebook, Myspace, etc. More importantly, practice link love. Link to other people’s blogs and let them know that you’re recommending them. This will help develop your relationship as well as increase your viewers.

Most importantly, have fun

Trey from Trey Morgan.net:

Here are four things I really like in a blog:

- Present a relevant thought
- Challenge my thinking
- Make me laugh
- Definitely, without a doubt, keep it short

Jenny from The Bloggess:

Don’t post any pictures that accidentally feature your nipples.  I speak from experience on this one.

Katie from La Petite Chic:

Here’s my tip!

I spent the first few months of blogging wondering why no one was commenting on my blog.  Well, I wasn’t exactly commenting on other blogs myself!  Lurking will get you nowhere…leave a comment on your favorite blogs and one of them is bound to stop by and say hello.

Jason from iVegas Family:

My advice:

Don’t get over-obsessed with it. There’s no need to post just to post. I fall into that trap from time to time because I feel like I need to give readers something, anything. But it really doesn’t help if it’s not compelling. Post only when you have something to say.

Jennster from Jennster:

i would tell someone who was just starting a blog to ask themselves WHY they are starting it.  and then remind them not to forget that reason.  hell, have that be their first post so they can go back and remind themselves once they suddenly find themselves caught up in things they never imagined in the blog world.  it’s sometimes easy to forget why you’re there in the first place.  just be true to yourself and true to your ideals and make sure to tell everyone else to go fuck themselves.  (except for me, cause i’m awesome)

Sandy from Momisodes:

Something I did not anticipate as a new blogger, was just how much time I needed to spend reading other blogs, on top of creating my own content. If your goal as a blogger is to generate some level of readership, audience, or sense of community, you must remember to read other blogs and leave comments. Seek out other bloggers through comment sections, social communities, blogrolls, etc. on a regular basis. This will help you develop a regimen of blog reading and commenting, which in turn, will direct bloggers back to your blog to offer their feedback. Reading other blogs has always kept me inspired, and the comments I receive have become my sounding board.

Mike from Unraveling Life’s Mysteries:

Don’t do it.

Why would you want to have a voice that will just be ignored by thousands of people? Blogging just sucks the life out of you. Trying to conger up something to write and still be witty, intriguing, engaging, and thoughtful is a chore.

I mean really, who wants to hear about your boring life. And don’t get me started about the family around you who put up with your crazy ideas for posts. My wife is constantly nagging me that my blog is taking up all my free time. It’s sucking the life out of a me. She hates that I try and get the family to do something strange, stupid, or funny just so it can be included in the blog.

But seriously, I try to live by the KISS principle. Keep It Simple, Stupid.

Write what interests you and you will have readers who are in similar situations commenting back. Give yourself time for people to find you. They will.

Don’t over analyze your blog layout. Start off simple and let it grow naturally. If you get too caught up in your layout, the writing will suffer.

You don’t have to write everyday, but make sure that it is often enough to keep people coming back. I lose interest if you don’t update your blog but once a month. I came to your blog because I like that your writing. I’m looking for more.

In short, have fun. Enjoy the process and don’t stress if it doesn’t work out.

Dr. Heather from Baby Shrink:

BLOG WHAT YOU LOVE.

That’s the only way to sustain your own interest in your site. There are “up” times and “down” times in the lifecycle of any blog. Writing about what you love will keep your involvement fresh, fun and helpful to others.

Traffic will come and go. Newfangled social networking “platforms” will appear — and disappear. Technical developments offer splash — but can’t create GOOD CONTENT. Focus on that, and the rest will follow!

Katie from K Squared:

The best thing to do is just wing it! Pick a name for your blog and just write. When I started I didn’t have a good name for my blog, and it took me a few weeks to get a rhythm going of writing, using photos in my posts, etc., before I actually really liked what I was doing. I use wordpress, but have used Blogger in the past, and both are great free blog forms to use. Another tip is to find other bloggers you love to follow, because they will give you inspiration where you might not otherwise find it. The blogging community is a great family to belong to!

Maggie at Okay. Fine. Dammit.:

Don’t say anything you wouldn’t say to your mother-in-law’s face. Whomever you think your audience is in the beginning, it could change at any moment and often does without warning. Be prepared like the Boy Scouts. At the same time, try to avoid thinking about your audience too much — try not to anticipate and write what you think everyone else wants to read, or what you think will make you “popular.” Figure out what it is about you that makes you different, and embrace that. And whatever you do, don’t hate. If you’ve got this piece of a communal garden to share, plant hydrangeas instead of choke weed.

Tags: Ask The Bloggers, Blogging, Funny, Tips