Hi All - In reading through a recent thread here on best books for writers, and also because we're featuring a series on writing techniques at WebHelperMagazine.com, I thought I'd ask the pros here this question: What techniques do you think Bloggers could most use from the arsenal of professional writers? This doesn't mean that I think that Bloggers are not professional. In fact, I think they may actually be engaged in defining their own genre of writing (probably food for a different thread there). But I wager many Bloggers would write better if they took the time to study proven techniques of the well trained writer. I'll start off the discussion with some answers to my own question: Identify and choose the best from at least 10 different types of "leads" (this technique comes from journalism training and would include Question lead, Inverted Pyramid lead, Quote lead, etc.) Use of professional interviewing techniques Headline writing techniques Motivational/persuasive writing techniques -- particularly if the Blogger is writing for Business/eCommerce purposes Storytelling techniques Techniques particular to Blogging Ok... I look forward to your thoughts. I plan to link back to this thread in a round-up post for our writing series, so it should result in some awareness of the forum and the professional writers here. Best - Scott
Taking a writing course would be a good start. There's nothing wrong in learning some of tricks of the professional trade instead of always writing in l33t or lol talk.
Hey Scott, while I do agree with you on those points, I wanted to make a point that blogging is different from other types of writing. As with any endeavour, a different set of skills is needed to obtain the desired results. There are lots of bloggers around writing for fun, others want to start discussions about subjects like politics and there is the blogger that's in the game for the money. For most people, blogging doesn't equal professional writing. A lot of them also like to be themselves, express who they are without holding back thru etiquette and certain writing styles. What I'd like to add to your list is the difference between writing well-researched articles that have high quality content, and blog 'filler'. So many bloggers post good content every once in a while, but if they don't have enough time to keep the blog updated, they resort to short 'check this out' type of posts. They should all take a lesson in 'time/self management'. -Dave
Hello Dave, Chant & All - Hey, thanks for your thoughts. Chant: What courses do you recommend -- any online? Dave: I agree that blogging has some different characteristics, and, as I said in the first post, some of those methods and tactics are still being defined. While I tend to agree with your statement, that " For most people, blogging doesn't equal professional writing," I think that is different than saying bloggers could benefit from professional writing skills. You pointed out that some are in it for the money -- that's a professional pursuit. The rest all need to get their points across clearly and cogently, so again, good skills are in order. ADD TO LIST: Well-researched articles that have high quality content (instead of filler) Good addition. But, what skills are required to produce that sort of post, and do bloggers have those skills? Those posts take more time. They are more valuable than the .01 cent a word/$5 for a 500 word post rate that a lot of blog publishers are willing to pay "professional bloggers." Therein lies a problem that has been, and will be food for more posts. Yours, Scott
Hi Scott. I agree that blogging is a completely different style of writing all it's own. It's much more informal than other types of writing, and normally isn't designed to sell a product, but to entertain the reader. I think for bloggers, the biggest skills they need are providing useful content, link bait, and content that sparks discussion for their readers. As a blogger, you need to engage your readers and keep them coming back. I'm not a huge fan of John Chow's blog, but if memory serves me right he gained a lot of popularity when his "underground toilets" post was featured on Digg. The post was obvious link bait, but it worked. Bottom line, the writing needs to be entertaining/informative, and engaging enough to build a buzz. That's just my .02. -Scott
No. I'm an old fashioned kind of person and prefer learning from a teacher. I would recommend a night school class for the interested blogger, something like "Writing 101" or "Introduction to Journalism".
I have found reading advertisements can help blogging tremendously. What I mean by that is that the headlines in ads that grab attention can be used to also grab attention for blog readers when you're writing about whatever topic. You'd have to modify the headlines to be a little less hype, but you get the general idea here.
Hey Chant, that can be a good thing. A sort of school where people can follow classes like Writing 101 and English 101 for a fee online. These can of course be aimed at different markets like freelancers, journalists and bloggers. For every medium there are different requirements, so specific classes are needed. But the basics should be a must for every student. -Dave
I think blogging needs to be more personal. I also think like everything else on the internet, people need to break up the copy with subheads and paragraphs. Too many bloggers just rant with no break. Present me a sea of type and I'll run.
And what makes a blog more personal? Lots of people use it as a handy-dandy CMS, and Wordpress or another blog software is a great tool for that. Blogs have become what marketers made of it. Yet, any blog can still be personal - it completely depends on the purpose of the tool. -Dave
For the non-native English speakers investing in a good grammar check program is a must. I have been browsing blogs before which had such an unorganized sentence structure that I could hardly follow them. I have also noticed this on more and more American blogs as well. I am also irritated by the people who type in text message style. "IDK my BFF Jill. TSNF." I would highly recommend anyone who is at least curious about writing in general at least take a basic college English class.
Blogs that offer me content in a conversational tone rather than a more formal tone tend to be the ones I bookmark. If I want to be educated in a subject then I will go find a relevant site and learn all I can about that subject. If I want commentary on a subject I will look for a blog. Many blogs are not blogs. They are review or tutorial sites in disguise, and if you ask me (which you did) the more traditional review and tutorial sites are easier to navigate than these up and coming pretenders. Therefore if the blog comes across as formal, a review site or a tutorial site then I tend to look elsewhere. I read blog's for the opinions and commentary offered there and expect to be entertained in a conversational manner for my trouble. Also I do tend to give a click for the ones that entertain me either by making me laugh or offering me a new perspective. I also click if they totally agree with my opinion on the subject thus proving I really am not crazy! So in summary .. bloggers need to blog and stop using blogs as a one-stop-shop for any and all content. bloggers need to realise that a blog is a essentially a journal and not an adsense donkey. bloggers need to focus on putting their personality into the site and understand that it is unlikely they are the only person in their niche. Being conversational, witty and entertaining is just as important as the actual subject being discussed. Happy blogging. edit: What i was trying to say is most blogs are a series of articles rather than a journal or discussion.
Many universities offer classes online. And most of those will offer your 100 and 200 level classes online, such as ENG 101, Jour 101, etc. In fact, some offer writing and other classes at the 400 level online. And I do believe that it's possible to take 100 and 200 levels classes at a university without being formally admitted. Intro to journalism, while mandatory perhaps, won't teach you must about writing. It's more about the craft. However, lower level classes, such as intro to reporting and writing (or whatever they have that's similar) will be beneficial.
We need to answer another question - why that blogger is writing that blog? It is very important to answer this question before you try to judge the content presentation style of a blogger. Something that emerged as a personal diary (with “hardly matters if you read†attitude), is now a big marketing and promotional tool. Are we talking about professional bloggers?
Hello All - I am seeing a thread of agreement here that blog writers need to write in a personal, conversational style. I also see agreement that study of the "basics" is in order -- grammar, spelling, when to use subheads, etc. These are great comments -- thanks. They do bring up a couple of questions: If a blog is NOT written in a personal and conversational style, but is presented with all of the trappings of a blog (WordPress optimized, etc.), then is it a "blog"... or something else? I mean what if the bulk of the articles are written in an "old school" journalism style, but presented in a blog format -- if that's not a blog... then what is it? There have been some great suggestions about higher education pertaining to writing were made -- anyone seen a program catering to bloggers yet? Doesnt' the style and format used depend on what the purpose of the blog might be (personal versus business, for example)? - Scott