Blogs have popped up all over the internet and writers are
getting in on the growing trend. The original idea behind
blogs was to have a personal journaling space online.
There were many sites online for people to post random
thoughts about anything and everything. But, blogging has
taken on a different tone.
There are still many people who post journals on these
sites:
www.diaryland.com and
www.livejournal.com.
These are ones that I used several years ago. I used them
to store chapters in my latest books, but most people used
them for diary posting that they could share with others.
Writers and other business people have discovered new uses
for blogging and journaling space.
Pick a Name for Your Writer's Blog
Writers need to pick an appropriate and useful name and
address for their blogs. Most blog programs allow you to
choose your URL (address). This is like your website URL.
Think carefully and pick a URL that will attract search
engines and that’s easy to remember. Don’t worry about
being cute, pick something that will attract visitors and
reflect the content of your blog. Your author name, book
title, setting or something related to the theme or
content of your books would be good choices for the blog
address and name.
Communicate With Readers on Your Blog
We now see many blogs for authors. Many business people
have discovered that blogs are a good way to communicate
with their customers. They can promote the services and
products. It is also a good way to share business
information with people who are interested in the company.
An effective blog can work the same way for authors.
This is a great way to establish the business as an
expert in their field. Being considered to be an expert
can be a huge boost for the company. Can writers use this
to their advantage? In many sections of this book we will
discuss the importance of building your credibility and
making yourself an expert. Blogging is a great way to do
this and it’s inexpensive. It can work for businesses and
it can work for you.
Blog vs Website Content - A Difference
A reason why many people prefer a blog instead of
regular website content is because it’s more casual and
personal. Website content can be very impersonal and this
is especially true for businesses. Blogs are a casual way
to actually communicate with potential customers. A
writer’s blog and website should be informational, but
never boring or tedious.
A benefit of using a blog to post is that many people
don’t update or change their website content on a regular
basis. A effective and interesting blog should have new
entries on a regular basis. Your posts should be done
daily or several times a week. Whatever timeframe you
chose, stick to it and people will return to see what you
have to say - if your posts are interesting and useful for
them.
When you decide to establish a blog, determine your
objectives.
• What do you want to accomplish?
• Is it only to communicate with customers?
• Do you want to educate your visitors?
• Do you want to generate website visits and sales?
When you determine your objectives, you will know how
to approach the promotion of your blog.
Nikki Leigh - Fiction and Non Fiction Author
http://www.nikkileigh.com
