What if I need to write a long post?

Then you're out of luck!

No just kidding! lol

It's okay just make sure 95% of it is informative.

95% that seems pretty high?

Well not really.

The point of long blog posts, generally speaking of course, is to provide information your reader is seeking specifically on how-to do something which they've never done before - think of it as a tutorial.

So what about that 5%?

That I reserve for that for my self expression.

The problem I notice with most long posts is people interject their opinions throughout the entire post making it harder for the reader to extract the meaning of the post.

So by keeping your commentary to a minimum the reader can actually learn how-to do a process they've never done before!

Quite neat huh? :)

Very truly,
CB Webmaster

P.S. Go here for more info on suggested blog lengths.

Choose a Template that Helps Your Readers!

Make sure your template makes it easy for your readers to:

1. View hyperlinks.

People generally associate underlined blue words with hyperlinks. So you might want to make sure your template has this or allows you to change this option.

But you don't have to stick to this guideline - as long as you don't deviate so far that people have no idea it's a hyperlink.

Generally stay away from light colors and dull colors - you want people to be able to tell right away that it's a hyperlink.

For example on CB Blog Success the hyperlinks are red against a white background and very easy to see!

Oh and if your template does not underline the hyperlink you may want to change templates because less people recognize non-underlined words as hyperlinks.

2. Background color + text color

Make sure this combo is literally easy on the eyes. If it's hard to read then you may lose readers as a result.

3. Font Size.

Although many sites ascribe to font size 12 as it looks professional considering the eyesight impairment of many adults I suggest a slightly larger font size such as 14 pt or 16 pt.

That's it for now if I come up with any more tips I'll create another posting!

Take care,
CB Webmaster

P.S. I just came across the criteria Bloggy Award uses for picking out the best blogs and it actually corresponds to some of the things I listed above so I thought you might want to check it out.

Blog Length

I've spoken about this topic before, but I want to clarify what blog postings I think tend to fit into different blog length categories.

Tutorials - LONG

I consider these full length tutorials that really teach a process.

How-to MEDIUM

These are going to give the reader information on how-to do something. What makes it different from a tutorial is that it's not a step-by-step process. It's more of a general concept.

Quick tip - SHORT

This is something which a person can initialize pretty much immediately. And so why not just make it really easy for them to grasp by not weighing it down with tons of observations.

Sharing a Link - SUPER SHORT

Sometimes I find a blog posting that I didn't write which is just far superior to anything I've read online. When that happens I'll create a blog post just to notify my readers of its existence. And say a few lines about why I think it's so great!

Oh an just think how much happier your readers will be getting the information they need in a speedier way!

Whoopie!

Love ya,
CB Webmaster

See how this one was medium? And it was a how-to! Well there ya go!

P.S. In case you need it here's my post on: How to Hyperlink.

How do I link to a blog posting I like?

I was reading an article just a moment ago which was discussing linking and I realized some people do not know how to link. I don't know why people assume everyone knows how to do that! So I thought I'd write this quick post to show you how to do that.

How to link:

1. You're going to need to copy the URL for the article or blog posting you like.

To copy:

Place your mouse cursor over the beginning of the text you want to copy. (If it's a URL that's the http://www....)

Then drag the mouse to the right to select the text you want (you need the entire URL for it to work correctly)

Then right click with your mouse

Select: Copy

Then open whatever place you want to copy the text into - for example your: create post window.

Then with your mouse click into the empty large white space on the page and right click with your mouse, then select: Paste

Yeah you did it!

Now if you want the URL to appear as a hyperlink (which means when you click on the text it actually takes you to the website)

then you need to add this HTML code around it:

<a href="url text you pasted">Type in Title of Article here</a>

Now you're done! It should work!

If for some reason it doesn't work then check out our article on how to fix hyperlink for some ideas on how to make it work! And you can always email me directly if you have any questions!

Sincerely,

CB Webmaster

P.S. One reason the link may not work is the URL address is not a permanent address - go back to the page you want to link and look for the word: permalink

To search on a page use this shortcut key: first press your CNTL button and hold it down then press the letter "F" This should allow you to "find" text within a page. Type in the word: permalink. When you find it right click on the underlined word (the link is hidden behind the underlined word) then select: copy. And a shortcut key to paste the text is: CNTL + V.

P.P.S. Feel free to link to any of Chatblog's posts - you don't have to ask permission - we want you to share!

What Should I Put On My Blog?

Thought you might ask that!

What you Should Have on Your Blog:

1. A link to what the blog is about.

First create a blog post describing in detail what your blog has to offer, and how it is different from other blogs. Then make sure and add a link to this at the top of your blog.

If you're using blogger.com you can do this by going to LAYOUT, ADD GADGET, select: TEXT, then add a hyperlink to your post. And save your settings.

2. Contact information - how people can contact you directly!

I've been to so many blogs where I wanted to contact the blogger but they didn't provide a way for me to do that! Heck even I forgot to put that on my blog at first - I guess I just assumed my contact information was already on there - but it wasn't! In Blogger.com if you choose to share your email - it only appears on your profile permalink page - it does not appear on your blog! I have no idea why! But anyhow if you want your email displayed you have to do it yourself!

3. Rss Feed link.

That way people can subscribe to your blog to get the latest updates of your posts.

3. Labels.

Basically a list of blog posts categorized by topic.

4. Your Profile.

On blogger.com you can display your profile on your blog! And if you don't use blogger.com there are many sites that offer free "widgets" that will allow you to display a profile on your blog.

Read my post on Profiles - What to Put in Them!.

5. Links to sites that are similar in nature to yours. Why?

Isn't that just promoting my competition? No, it's actually you're way of doing 3 people a favor.

1- You - heck if this person's blog/website has information you're interested in then you're going to want to go back and check it out often!

2- Your Reader - I wrote a blog post on how you should give your readers more than what they asked for. If you look this principle up in a search engine you'll see a lot of people recommend doing this.

3- The person who you linked to - it's a nice way to send "business" their way - and it doesn't "take" readers away from your blog as you would expect. In fact it probably will bring more readers your way because if the person you linked to checks out how they are receiving traffic to their blog and they see a lot of it coming from your site they may feel inclined to put a link to your site on their page as a "thank you" - and that means whatever number of readers they have already enlisted can potentially become your readers!

And what you might want to think twice about before adding to your blog:

1. Tons of Widgets.

And there are tons of out there from clocks to astrological readings. I'm not saying omit them entirely - just be selective and think minimalistic and you'll be alright!

2. Ads.

Unlike links to similar topics most ads will take readers away from your page rather than bring you more readers! Yikes! I know!

Plus you've been to sites/blogs that are loaded with tons of ads - what do you do? Well I know I get overwhelmed and frustrated because it makes it harder for me to find the content I was seeking! In fact if the ads interfere to much with my ability to locate the content I just leave the page and try another site. So keep that in mind!

3. Buttons.

I've been to a lot of blogs that have all these buttons on them saying that they are "pro bloggers" or giving you a link to their profiles on digg.com, technorati and such. I guess I understand the purpose of these buttons but really they do seem to clutter the page a lot.

If you really want to give your readers a way to view those things why not just create a link to them and put them all on one page thereby eliminating the clutter it creates on your blog.

4. Photos.

The current trend is to add a photo to each of your blog postings. I'm not sure how this trend got started but I find it a bit like trying to "dumb-down" your site to your users. If people come to your site for high quality content and you provide that for them then it shouldn't matter that you don't have tons of pictures taking up a lot of space on your blog. Of course if your blog is a photo blog then it would be silly to omit the photos! lol

Things that are a personal decision to put on your blog:

1. Counters.

Some people argue that counters are "bragging" and detract from the tone of your site. I personally don't use a counter, but I've been to sites with counters and when I see they have had 20,000 visitors I have to say that it does make an impact on me - the impact it makes is it gives me MORE of a reason to stick around and see what they have to offer. Of course it doesn't affect my reasoning faculties - if I go through their blog and find that little or none of what they've written is exciting to me then that's it I pack up my bags and say goodbye! Just because 20,000 other people found it interesting doesn't necessarily mean you will.

2. Polls.

I'm sure you've seen these - a little list of usually trite questions no one really cares about asking for your opinion.

Well if your blog is just about being social than I guess you might be interested in this feature.

That's all I've got for now,
CB Webmaster

P.P.S. out of control!!!

lol okay I've been there done that!

Sometimes I have one more thing to say and oh one more and wait just one more and I end up with three extensive P.P.P.S.'s!

So if it really is more a part of the blog posting rather than an afterthought - then just integrate it into the posting.

Which would you rather read a posting that:

-tells you its over?

-gives you one more great tip in a P.S.

or

-one that said it was over (aka signed off with a signature) and then goes on and on and on

It's like the bell ringing in school and the teacher keeping you ten minutes late!

Ay-yi-yi!

You just want to get out of there!

Which means your reader (most likely) won't stick around to hear your relevant comments because they've moved on to another post.

Brief works,
CB Webmaster

P.S. I know you're laughing right about now if you've read any of my posts because they are usually let's just say the "opposite" of brief - but I have my moments! ;)

Keep a To Do List

Anyone who's ever blogged knows it isn't as simple as just typing some thoughts into a post and voila that's it!

There's a lot that goes into it and your blogging life will be much happier if you stay organized!

To keep your sanity I suggest you create a "To Do List" text file on your computer.

If you have a Windows Computer just click on: Start, programs, accessories, and open: Notepad.

Then enter things you plan to do on your blog in the new text file.

And of course since this list will grow and grow - you may want to prioritize the tasks you want to do first at the top of the list.

The great thing is you can copy and paste and delete text to move it around to easiily arrange what you want to be priority tasks at the top of your text file.

Note: If you need to learn how to copy and paste scroll to the bottom of Quote Posting Guidelines for instructions (it's right under the text: How to Hyperlink).

Things you may want to consider priority tasks:

1. Errors you come across on your site.

Especially broken links, improperly loading "widgets", etc.

People get flustered easily - and if your site doesn't "appear" in order they may not return.

Just remember every day your blog and blog postings have an oppotunity to appeal to new readers!

So basic upkeep like this will safeguard you against people's impulses to find another site that isn't "broken"

2. Optimizing your blog settings.

Don't delay doing this! You'll save a lot more time in the long run if you label your posts up front instead of doing it down the road.

Your blog probably has tons of features you're not even aware of!

At blogger.com you can subscribe to their Rss Feed of their New Features called: Blogger Buzz

And remember you can always check your blog's help files

Some blog sites even have forums where users exchange tips for improving the functionality of their blogs.

One of the most important features you want to display on your blog posts is an RSS feed.

3. Self-Promote

Once you have at least 5 or more quality blog posts you're going to want to get the word out to people about your blog!

Check this out:
The Importance of Linking Your Blog Posts!

4. Things you want to research

5. Things you need to finish

And the best way to avoid more tasks accumulating on your ever-to-do list is to prevent them from accumulating in the first place!

Also I keep a text file called Blogs to Post - where I write down any ideas I have for blog posts - even if it's just one line describing what I want to write about - that way I don't forget it. And if I don't have time to write the post right now I'll have something to trigger me to remember what I wanted to write about. I also like to make notes to myself about what labels I should add to the post - to make it easier for myself later when I'm posting it and selecting labels for it!

And to keep things really organized I even have a text file called Blog Posts to Edit. This is a list of posts I've already posted that I have something new to add to (either a new thought or a link). Because I usually don't remember the title of the post off the top of my head I just write down the thought/link for each post I want to update. Then I use a dotted line to distinguish that the information below each line is for a different post that needs to be edited. Can't decide if your new thought should go in a New Post or Add to Previous Post?

You can even create a seperate list just for URLS that you want to reference in your posts - remember you can go back anytime and edit your posts and add hyperlinks to relevant blog postings or articles you come across.


Phew,
CB Webmaster

Help I forgot to Add a Title!

Help I forgot to add a title and now the URL for my post is the first line of my blog post!

Yikes!

I know scary! That happened to me! (You won't believe it but I made this error when I first posted the Quote Posting Guidelines! lol! I know I know tsk tsk lol)

Here's what happens in blogger.com

If when you create your post and you do not create a title for it initially then it will by default select the first line of text in your post as the URL for the post.

Note: If you have tons of comments on your post - you don't need to re-title it - people have found it! That's the only reason to re-title a post's URL in the first place. Skip doing this whole process and just manually enter a title in your post's edit window.

To find out why is it so important to title your posts - click here

So Here's how you can fix your Permalink to display the Blog Posting's Title:

1. Copy and paste your entire blog post into a text file.

2. Delete the blog post.

3. Create a new blog post.

4. Copy and paste your entire blog post into the new post.

5. And most importantly remember to put a title on it this time!

Then click: PUBLISH POST

Oh and if this doesn't solve the error, if you're using blogger.com, make sure your: Show Title Field is set to ON. If it's off it will not use the title of your blog for the URL.

And If you need to learn how to copy and paste scroll to the bottom of Quote Posting Guidelines for instructions
(it's right under the text: How to Hyperlink).

And remember to add the existing labels before you delete your old post - because if this is the only post under a specific label that label will "disappear" from your labels and you'll have to do it over again! Just click: Show All. Add the labels THEN delete the old post.

And don't worry - even if you had tried to correct the title error by making a title after you posted it and now both the old and new post have the same title it won't affect the title. You'll still be able to create the "new" post even with an identical title and then be able to delete the old post as soon as you're done labeling.

Aaaagh but how can I tell which one's the old post when I'm deleting?

Good question.

Before you create the new post - make note of the timestamp on the old post.

That way you can differentiate which one's the old post (which you will be deleting)

and

which one is the new post (which will essentially take the old post's place)

What about existing comments and links to your post?

Well I don't know but I assume they'll be deleted so you'll have to copy those over to the new blog posting as well. Simple enough if you only have 1 or 2.

That's all for now folks,

CB Webmaster

P.S. To avert the title problem get yourself into the habit of adding your title before you begin writing your post.

Psssst....One more thing!

Always give your readers: one more tip!


Yes I've said before that you should keep your blog postings focused on one idea - and while that's true (in most cases) that doesn't mean you have to give just the "bare minimum!"

If you can give your readers just one more tip, they'll appreciate it!

And if you're really focused on your idea a new tip will come more readily to you.

But how will my readers know it is a "bonus" tip?

Well since it happens to be my last thought - or sometimes even an afterthought I use our basic letter format of P.S.

It's a friendly approach that makes that last tip stand out.

Your friendly Webmaster,
CB

P.S. Btw your new tip may give you an idea for a whole other blog posting! Great, huh? (see how I used the P.S. here - it makes you feel like I'm talking to just you! As in "Psssttt...I have one more thing to tell you!

P.P.S. Not to mention that one more thing you can say is "Here's a post I wrote that's related" OH YES! I know you like that one ;)

Learn the Rules then Break Them!

Rules for creating a successful blog:

1. Keep blog postings to less than 500 words
2. Put an image in each blog posting
3. Put Ads on your blog
4. Write great content
5. Promote your blog
6. Mispell words so bad spellers can find you

How I broke these rules:

1. My favorite blog posting is over 2000 words long. Are you serious? Yes. And people stick around to read it? You tell me: How I made money (someday!) from my website without selling anything!

2. So far I've only put one image in one posting and I have over 50 blogs - why? Because it was a relevant graph I wanted my readers to check out - not just some pointless picture of a person's head.

3. Technically I don't have Ads on my blogs - although I do have google adsense.

4. Well this one isn't broken literally - you do need to write great content - I'd alter this to say: Don't pander to your audience. They don't want to hear a sales pitch. Trust me they rather hear the truth. See how I did this in my blog posting titled: Who's really selling you?

5. Okay well maybe I haven't broken this rule really - but let's just say I haven't gone out in every possible direction spending countless hours writing in forums trying to get people to view my blogs.

6. Why sacrifice good spelling? Besides which you would you rather read:

nemona is the leding cause of ilness this seson

or

pnemonia is the leading cause of illness this season

Plus most search engines give spelling suggestions at the top of the search results: Did you mean....? with the correct spelling and the user only has to click on it to get the right results.

After you've learned the rules, and have broken a few, then go back and apply the rules. What??? Seriously, go back.

Break down lengthy paragraphs into 3-5 sentence stanzas.

If you're way over the "suggested" 500 word length - see if you may have 2 posts you can derive out of this one and split it up

Put appropriate ads on your site but not necessarily right across the top - ads are okay just not intrusive ones - you know what I'm talking about

Check your content to make sure it is "great" - are parts of it "lifeless?" Spice them up! Use your adjectives! Add hyperlinks! Make a joke! People like to laugh and there's bound to be at least one more person online who thinks you're funny

Be yourself - don't try to pretend to be something you're not - but what if I'm totally cheesy? That's okay some people want cheesy and those who don't probably know someone who is cheesy who they can refer your site to - who do you think is going to come to their mind when they see your cheesy commentary inside your blog posts? Their cheesy friend of course! "Hey Bob you should check out this website - they are cheesier than you man!" See what I mean about breaking the rules this paragraph is now longer than 5 sentences! OH NO MR. BILL!! lol It's okay, you're still reading it, right? Why?

Well here's something that may be new to your ears: Put your best information at the top of your blog posting in the suggested length of 2-3 sentences per paragraph and that will hook your readers! Once hooked, they keep reading! Yeah, isn't that great? I think so! Of course it doesn't hurt if your entire post is full of great information and pithy and dare I say funny comments.

Do go to relevant related blogs and comment on their postings that you enjoyed and put a link back to your blog posting - the worst that can happen is the moderator doesn't publish your URL

and

Last but not least don't be self-conscious about errors - one or two may get away from you - it's okay people do not expect you to be perfect - in fact being imperfect proves you're not an automaton.

Yours Truly,
CB Webmaster - Rule breaker ;) lol