Blogging 101 – The Content – Part 3
By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd
So by now, I am sure that you have gathered that as passionate as I am about my business, so am I passionate about blogging, and when I blog, not only do I learn for myself, but I also share what I have learned.
Most of us have heard the words that “knowledge is power” – I’d like to say that knowledge is exactly that – plain, unsophisticated, understated . . . well knowledge. The “Power” of the knowledge is in how we use it and what we do with that knowledge and by sharing that knowledge with others who will use it, we enable, not only ourselves but those around us too. How cool is that!
The sharing of knowledge shouldn’t just be a ‘here and now’ experience either – so make sure that you create ‘archives’ which allow people to go back, time and time again, to refresh their memories about the issues that you have written about or to savor their favorite posts. It will also assist with reading articles (in one sitting), that have perhaps been broken up into parts so that it is easily readable.
Another idea, in order to assist with your archives, is to break up the content of the articles into sections, pretty much like I have for the blogs on my website. So each time I introduce a new topic (pretty much like I did when I introduced “blogging” as a topic), I add a new content section to my blog index.
Now, to get people interacting with you, it’s also necessary to tell people ‘about’ yourself. People like to hear stories, especially stories about where you come from and what it is that you have done in order to get to where you are. It allows them to relate to you in a completely different way. Put a photo of yourself onto your blog – it gives people a sense of communicating directly with you.
Make sure that you have a section that gives people direct access to you. Have a contacts page with, at the very least, your e-mail address. If you are not comfortable about being contacted at all hours of the day and night by people who live on the other side of the planet, or who are in different time zones, don’t include your telephone number. Many people like to clarify issues or perhaps add to the discussion or even provide alternative information. So allow yourself to be accessible, even if it is only up to a point.
Be willing to share, not only your thoughts and your information and knowledge but also your blog too. Invite guests to ‘blog’ on your site. If you feel like you are giving up control, then choose the topic yourself and reserve the right to edit what they have written.
See you next time, when we will look at some more issues around some of the content that should be on/in your blogs.
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
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