Blogging 101 - Being kind to your readers

BLOGGING TIPS – Being Kind to your Readers


By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting CC April 2011

I’ve just read an article entitled “6 Ways to be Kind to your Readers” by Bamboo Forest, and I must admit I was absolutely intrigued by the title.  I mean kindness in itself is something most of us aspire to have and I am sure that we all think of ourselves as ‘kind people’ or at the very least, we would like to think of ourselves as kind (even if we may not be).

But what does it mean – to be ‘kind’ to our readers when we blog?  I mean as much as it is our choice to write the blog, it is our reader’s choice as to whether they read the blog or not, surely? 

So here is what ‘Bamboo Forest’ had to say:

1.    “Kill or shorten introductions”.  Now this particular statement, I am very sure will not work for me.  To be fair, I can understand it up to a point, but for me, my intro sets the stage for the story to unfold.  “Killing or shortening” that intro would hurt the story before it began to unfold.
2.    “Champion quality over quantity”.  This one however, in my opinion is right on the money!  At a point, I was writing 5 new articles every week.  Now don’t get me wrong, if you have the time to do the research as well as write the article – well that’s just fantastic and a great bonus.  However, my workflow increased and the number of hours in the day didn’t and because I didn’t want to compromise the quality or the value of my writing, I have chosen to cut back on the number of articles that I write.  There may be times when there are no articles for weeks or even months and then again there may be times when I am able to write on a pretty regular basis.  I would rather write a good meaningful article than a rushed half -hearted one!
3.    “Commit to having every post be entertaining”.  Interesting – absolutely!  Entertaining – well I am not too sure about that one, particularly in the world of business and especially in the world of business in South Africa.  Current legislation and politics and proposed new legislation often makes really scary reading.  Finding solutions to implement the changes without too much upheaval or cost, would hardly make for entertainment, unless of course you are falling about with laughter at the absurdity of it all.
4.    “Write clearly” Well that makes perfectly good sense to me, especially when you are writing about business topics.  People need to know what the point is.  Let’s face it, if you are writing a piece of fiction, there doesn’t always need to be a ‘moral to the story’ (although a plot or storyline is a must), but if you are writing a piece on business – there has to be a point and people have to ‘get it’!
5.    “Keep your posts as short as possible”.  Again for me this is dependent upon the telling of the story.  Sometimes the point is best made and illustrated by means of a story and the length of the story – well if the truth be told, it doesn’t matter how long the story is, as long as it keeps you engaged and interested and it illustrates the point, so that you the reader, ‘get it’!
6.    “Step up your game”.  Now this one, I particularly like.  You see, for me ‘if you are not growing you’re dying”!  If you are not constantly challenging yourself and your readers with what you are saying, if you are not improving or engaging or teaching or learning or moving forward or upward in some way –well what is the point?

So I guess what I am trying to say is that there are always guidelines on what to do and how best to do it.  Thing is though, it has to serve your own soul and it has to make a difference in the lives of others – if it doesn’t meet those two requirements, well personally, I’d give it up.

Till next time, happy blogging!

Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za