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Archive for June, 2011

People say that to make an impression, you’ll have to open your mouth.  While that is physically impossible in the virtual world of the Internet, saying your piece is not entirely difficult to do.  Thanks to forums and discussion boards, you can leave a comment or start a discussion thread about virtually any topic from anywhere in the world.  And yes, you can even leave comments to drive traffic to your blog and increase your readership.

Leaving effective comments

You’re probably old enough to know that not every comment that gets thrown into an opportunity for interaction creates the desired effect, much less become appreciated by those who hear or read it.  If you don’t use this technique carefully, you will either waste the opportunity or simply allow it to create the wrong impression.  Here are 7 ways you ought to do it:

Choose the sites you leave comments on

Ever wondered why Tiger Woods is great?  Because he chooses his battles well.  You’ll never find Woods swinging his club at a lesser known tournament – not because he’s a snob but because he focuses on the games that truly matter and on being on equal ground with other greats.

Keep this in mind before you leave comments on a website.  Just because you have the burning need to drive traffic to your blog doesn’t mean you can just drop by a site – any site – and write there.

Choose the sites and blogs whose forums you participate with.  Find out if the site deals with a topic or subject related to your very own blog.  Practice only purposeful commenting – the kind where you leave only well-crafted comments on sites that will help build the buzz about your blog.

If the site is completely irrelevant but you have the urge to leave a comment, do so only during your spare time.  Otherwise, focus your energies only on more productive activities.

Know what you’re saying

Before you leave a comment with the purpose of driving traffic to your blog, at least write one that is useful.  Your goal is to be noticed AND respected for your opinions so leaving useless and dead end comments such as ‘Cool!’ and ‘Way to go!’ just won’t cut it.

If this is the best you can do, forget about leaving comments right now and focus on other strategies to drive traffic to your blog.  Better avoid this technique than be embarrassed or be viewed as lame or mediocre.

But if you can write and have something meaningful to say, by all means, do so.  With every comment you have, make sure you keep it short, concise, to the point and useful.  Talk about relevant topics and avoid those that will do nothing for your purpose.

Avoid strong language

Of course, some sites will probably allow you to leave comments that are strongly worded or at least camouflaged as symbols such as !#$%&*, but there are ways to get your point across, regardless of how angry, upset or argumentative you are.

Furthermore, majority of sites and blogs impose certain regulations that restrict the use of certain words.  Try to rephrase a sentence without losing its main thought.  Use an online thesaurus, if necessary.  Remember that once a comment is posted online, there’s no way to get it back especially if it’s not your site.  You can leave that comment there to rot but you can never take it back.

Do not be rude

Have a sense of humor.  The Internet is a vast expanse of space, currently limitless.  In fact, it’s a whole universe unto itself.  If people leave comments on your post that seem to insult you or argue with you, don’t fight back without thinking.

First of all, we are a democracy and people have every right to their own opinion.  Second, firing back with the same kind of idiotic language will not be a good reflection on you.  Third, you’re way better than that.  If you must defend your stand, do so with class.

Calm down

Please, if you must drive traffic to your blog by leaving comments on other websites, keep it professional and tone it down.  DON’T LEAVE MESSAGES LIKE THIS ONE!!!!!!

A good rule of thumb is to follow accepted structure of the English language or whatever language it is you’re using to post.  If you must use exclamatory points, make sure they are truly needed.  Otherwise, avoid them.

Leaving comments written in purely bold or capitalized letter smacks of desperation and unprofessionalism.  It’s hardselling and makes people stay away in droves.

Check replies to your blogs

Maximize commenting on other sites and drive traffic by frequently checking back on the forum you participated in to see if there are any replies to the post you left.  This is a good way to build buzz and network.

Check your facts

If you will be quoting someone or citing a certain study, make sure your facts can be corroborated.  Don’t use make believe or newly invented figures and statements or even half-truths and try to pass them off as legit.  You will be exposed.  If you want to drive traffic to your blog by leaving comments, make sure you don’t tarnish your reputation with the effort.

Writing a blog can be as easy as baking cookies to one person, but much more difficult to the next. Professional writers will tell you that they find blog writing enjoyable. Those who are not great writers may be intimidated by the task however and may never want to learn how to write a blog entry. Writing a blog entry does not have to be painful however. It can be a lot of fun! If you are interested in blogging, but are unsure how to begin, use these six easy steps to writing a blog entry to get started.

Gather Ideas

The most difficult part about writing anything is deciding what you want to write about. Blogs are interesting because you can use them in several ways. You can use them as a personal online journal of sorts if you wish. You can also use them as a place to post your opinions and views. Lastly, you can use them as a place to put short articles of interest for others to read.

If you are choosing to use your blog as a journal, you might not need much planning. You will probably simply want to begin writing and see where it takes you. If you want to use the blog for your opinions or for articles however, you will need to gather ideas. Create a list of topic ideas that interest you. Use them to determine what your topic will be. After choosing a topic, make a quick outline of main points you want to include. This step may seem tedious, but it will make the other steps go much more quickly, so be sure not to skip it.

Choose a Tone

After you have chosen your topic and created your short outline, you will need to choose your tone. The most successful blogs are written in a casual tone, which is a welcoming idea to most non-professional writers. Don’t worry about grammatical rules. Simply choose a tone that is like the one you would use when speaking with your spouse or a great friend. The tone should be friendly and stress-free.

Write Your Post

When you sit down to write your post, remember the tone you chose for your piece. Keeping the tone in mind put your topic idea and outline in front of you and begin writing. You should keep your blogs posts pretty short. They should contain your main point within the first sentence or two. Don’t ramble on and on or you will risk losing your reader somewhere in the middle. You can strive to keep your posts between 300 and 700 words altogether. This may sound like a lot, but once you start writing, you will see that it will not take a lot of time to get to this point. Don’t forget to write in a casual tone. Write exactly like you would speak. Avoid large words that some people may stumble over. Create interesting, yet simple posts for everyone to enjoy.

Use a Signature Ending

A signature ending is important for any blogger. You can choose to end each post with a specific quote or phrase. You can add your name to the bottom with a special symbol nearby. It really does not matter how you choose to end your post. Be sure to choose a signature ending however. A signature ending is a great way for regular readers to see that your post is ending. It can be a comforting sight for many readers as well and make your blog seem more personal.

Edit Your Work

After all of the writing is said and done, you should always edit your work. Editing is not always a fun thing to do, but if you want your blog to be taken seriously, you should go back over your work. Look for misspelled words and other common mistakes. Although you are not worrying about grammar, you should not misspell words. When you are certain your text is mistake-free, you can move on to the last step.

Submit Your Update

The final step to creating a blog post is to submit it to your blog. This is typically done via the blogging software. There is a spot where you can paste your text and click on the “submit” button. The software should do the rest. After submitting, visit your blog as a reader and check out your new update.