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.

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.

Give Me Less, Give Me More!

Can these two opposites exist in the same space?

Why yes they can!

Here's how:

1. Give me less - less length is basically what I mean.

There's no denying we live in a fast pace society. People value their time - and they want to get what they need fast.

So make your blog posts short enough to make it easier for them.

I recommended 5 paragraphs - each paragraph no longer than 2-3 lines.

2. Give me more - more means more quality not more content.

This actually is still part of saving people time - if you give your readers high quality content they'll return and especially if you can give them that content in half the amount of time it would take them normally to get.

This is a no-fail approach to blog writing that will make your readers happy!

And remember to ping your blogs whenever you add new posts so people can find your new posts!

Sincerely,
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! ;)

Deciding What to Hyperlink

Let's say you write a 6 paragraph post with each paragraph being 5 sentences long. That's approximately 275 words. So you don't want to overdo it with the hypertext. So how do you choose which words/phrases to link to?

I do it like this:

1. Provide hyperlinks to any blog postings/articles that inspired me to write the post. Give credit where it's due.

2. Locate any words/phrases that refer to another posting I made and link to those postings. To find out why read this post.

3. Select interesting concepts that not everybody may be familiar with and link it to the definition of it on wikipedia or an interesting article on the topic.

4. And always always hyperlink to your profile through your signature.