If you are a blogger and planning to be in Mumbai on 15ht August 2010, you might want to meet up other blogger at the Indiblogger meet which will take place in Mumbai. It will also be IndiBloggers 3rd anniversary.
IndiBlogger is website every Indian blogger should register and interact with considering it has over 15000 blogs registered on it. It also has other features like IndiRank which ranks all blogs registered in a automated way. Its verification is done manually!
The IndiBlogger’s Mumbai meet will happen after two years. If you are interesting in signing up you might want to click here and register yourself to visit the meet.
If you are not able to visit Mumbai meet on the 15th of August 2010, you can follow it on Twitter by visiting #indimum.
I often interact with new bloggers on Facebook and sometimes they end up writing on Devils’ Workshop. This is when I realize that many of them have great ideas and decent style of writing but one thing they find difficult is how to layout the content to make it a great post.
We are introducing Blogger of the Month version 2.0 which might get a lot of new bloggers interested in writing a post for DW. I felt it would be ideal to write a post on 5 steps to writing a great post.
The title of the post is very important. It catches your readers attention within seconds and one of the main reasons for someone looking up your post.
ADVERTISEMENT
Keep the title self explanatory. A reader who looks up the title of a post should feel they can expect certain things. eg: “How to install XYZ software?”
Always include your desired SEO keywords in your title. This will be your biggest SEO trick if there is one. 😉
Always write the title in present tense and not in the past. If the post title is in future tense then chances are you should be finishing that title with a question. eg: “Google buys XYZ company” or “Will Google buy XYZ company?”.
#2. Introduction
Now that we have a title lets go ahead with the actual content. You can roughly start with a paragraph that introduces the post to your readers.
ADVERTISEMENT
Introduction is the most important part when you start writing content. Mainly it introduces your reader to the topic at hand. For example if you are writing a post on “Google buys XYZ company” you might want to start of the post with Google recent list of acquisitions or maybe a small introduction of what XYZ company does.
You have all the material you want to write but have a ‘writers block’ on how to go about it. Best way to deal with it is to write in the introduction exactly why you are sharing this post with your readers.
Make sure the introduction is not too extensive. Ideally one small paragraph is perfect but in case its you have more to introduce try sticking to two paragraphs at the most.
#3. The main course
If your post was a menu at a restaurant then what follows the introduction is usually the main course or the main body of content written on a post.
There is no ideal amount of words to be used in this part of the post. For instance a detailed tutorial might be even more than a thousand words.
This part of the post if its too large you might want to split into parts. Like this post your are reading I have split the main course into 5 steps. 😉
Make sure this part of the post has screen-shots and images which is a ideal in my opinions. Ofcourse where and when to insert images is a personal choice which might change from post to post or from blog to blog for that matter.
#4. The Conclusion
ADVERTISEMENT
Write a conclusion to your post. This is a way to end your post on a high and every often give your readers your opinion on something and likewise ask your readers to comment and give their opinions.
Just like a introduction the conclusion should be precise and short. It should be simple and straight to the point.
I personally like writing a couple of lines of my own views on something I’ve written or reviewed. I feel this gives your post that personal touch.
Write a conclusion which ends with a question so your readers feel the need to engage in a dialogue with your post through the comments.
#5. Linking back to your post
Linkbacks to your post allow your readers to visit your older but related posts in a targeted way. This helps us out in improving the bounce rate of your blog.
Do not link back to just about any post on your blog. Make sure that the old post you are linking back to is relevant and adds something new to the reader.
Avoid filling your post with a lot of links to your previous articles. This is fine if your writing a round up post but on other occasions avoid making the reader think your wrote the current post only to introduce your older posts. It also makes your reader feel you are not coming up with new stuff.
I like linking to previous posts in the introduction section or in the conclusion section of a post. This allows me to be creative in inserting the link and play on the readers interests.
Also make sure the links your introduce are relevant to the post. If your current post is about programming don’t link it back to a funny post but try to link the post back from a similar category.
This are the 5 steps I use to write a good post. Some of these are my habits suited to writing on tech blog. Ofcourse this can really change from post to post but when I stick to these steps I find it easier. My steps are really based on me as a reader of other blogs and basically this is how I feel good when reading content.
If you liked this post you might want to read about 10 things bloggers must check before writing a post. Do you think these steps will help you write a great post? Do let me know by dropping in your comments. 😀
I want to analyze if my blog really needs a Mobile version or not ? Do you also feel the same, then don’t worry much. What you need to do is login to your Google Analytics account and check for following steps, you will end up with the right answer for you.
How to check your Blog need Mobile Version too ?
Now just login to your Google Analytics account and go to your blog Details (if you are managing more than one blog)
Then Click on Visitors tab which will be on left hand side of your Google Analytics Dashboard.
You will find option call “Browser Capabilities “as sub part of Visitors. It will lead you to some more options. Just select “Browsers “from that list.
Now you can see screen something like following screen-shot.
You can see some Mobile based Browsers in above mention screenshot some mobile browsers lie Opera Mini, Blackberry & Samsung browsers too other then IE, Firefox & Google Chrome. If I will convert them in to percentage then it will be 3% to 4% of my total blog visitation.
Now you need to think about do you want to serve this small amount of visitors with better design and mobile based site or let them use normal (regular) look of website. Now a days almost all leading Mobile OS supports HTML view but still it does not look pretty most times.
There are certain specification should be follow before making mobile sites. I guess till now you are also started feeling to convert your WordPress blog to mobile based site also.
Of course by now you start thinking about Which WordPress plug-in I am going to use for my blog in order to convert it as mobile site too.
ADVERTISEMENT
Analyse which will be best Mobile Plugin for your Blog
ADVERTISEMENT
You can find 10 Mobile Plugins for WordPress but the main think you need to check that which kind of Mobile Browser people are using the most. I mean to say from which kind of handsets persons are visiting you blog?
For Get more update about Mobile Phone Browsers you need to go to Google Analytics one more time and go to Visitors. You will find one Option called “Mobile”, click on that.
Now select “Mobile Devices” you will land up with Mobile devices name from which your Blog is getting traffic.
Just check from which kind of Mobile Devices you are getting traffic. If you are getting more traffic from iPhone then select theme based on iPhone if blackberry / Symbian mobiles (majorly Nokia) then select plugin accordingly.
I guess this should be enough for you to decide on weather your website needs a a mobile version.
Do let us know through your comments about your views on if you have a mobile version of your blog or website.
If you’re a blogger or just a computer fanboy (like me!), most possibly your suffering from eye,neck and many other body-part aches, fighting obesity and well, just plain lazy. Those long hours of surfing, yup. Of course this is not healthy in any way. Here are 10 tips that I follow regularly and what-do-ya-know, feeling quite great now, read on.
WordPress 3.0 has been released lately and it was codenamed ‘Thelonius‘ probably after a Jazz artist Thelonious Monk. The name ‘Thelonious‘ also means ‘leader of the people’. Considering WordPress being a open source phenomenon this name seems to be quite appropriate.
The name apart, WordPress 3.0 has ringed in quite a few changes and added a lot of new features along with a much more viewer friendly default theme.
The first thing that makes WordPress 3.0 different from its predecessors is that offers a new API and also integration of WordPress and MU.
This upgrade is quite a new and was widely anticipated. Click on its download counter page which displays the number of times WordPress 3.0 has been downloaded.
ADVERTISEMENT
WordPress 3.o does have also the option of giving you a URL shortner with your domain name and has a new default theme called 2010 which is a pleasant departure from is previous default themes.
We have stopped covering WordPress articles on DW as we have a dedicated blog for all things WordPress. Here are some links to all the articles covered about the latest release of WordPress 3.0.
Almost every budding blogger starts of with blogger and then moves on to WordPress. Now that I am blogging professionally and surrounded by professional Bloggers I tend to forget many thousands of bloggers are not professional and basically end up blogging as a way to express their opinions rather than to make a living. Blogger now has released its template designer as default for everyone and not only in its draft section.
According to Google there are over 350,000 words published with blogger platform every minute. It is pretty smart that Blogger is not trying to compete with WordPress but making itself a better platform for budding bloggers and writers who do not want to really look at blogging as a business.
Blogger a few months ago also introduced the option of creating pages and now improved ways to customize templates.
Here is a video which explains Blogger’s new features for template designer.
Have you been using Blogger templates lately? Do let us know your views about Blogger through your comments.
This is a guest post by Robnish, if you like to wrote for Devils’ Workshop do read about our guest blogger program.
I am not an authority blogger for the topics related blogging, money making, membership site or else but eager to share my experience here because of changes and development encouraging me I got In my last 70 days blogging.
According to technorati and alexa report we are in competition with the more that 5,66,000 new bloggers who are registering on the daily basis, more than 3,22,200 blogs who are active on the daily basis, more than 23,20,210 blog posts are getting posted regularly and last stat but not least and most competitive one that more than 10 bloggers are posting at the exact blog tittle on the day-to-day blogging schedule.
Now you should be aware about why to start a blog just now :-
Here are some of the observations during the practice of blogging and experiencing the day by day challenges and situations on the go, below is the list that will make you more aware of the practice and making it as a component of your hobbies that can give a lot and more than your imagination regards the hard work in network of peoples.
ADVERTISEMENT
1. Personal development :- It is the most effective and effects every blogger without informing him or her. In my case I was weak in writing a post to let you understand but now after starting my weblog you can check and compare to the current posts to earlier ones, I was not well-known with the terms like entrepreneurship, business and personal development but now I am learning and learning for sharing with them who likes to be student.
2. Entrepreneurship :- Most of us are starting a blog for making some positive use of our leisure but slowly and slowly it turns in opportunity for our self to build a business or medium to gain new relations, name and fame automatically.
3. Blog for business :- In it the most popular in business owners to occupy their market online as a professional blogger and that’s why business blogs are increasing to explore their services and policies to current customers and to build new ones around the globe.
ADVERTISEMENT
4. To help who needs :- Peoples have a great place for helping peoples around the world in any particular area which is well known to him or her have better dealing with the same situations ever. It’s like a book you can complete in smaller parts with the different combination of time period, and the peoples may get help by getting in contact by searching their need in search, directories and forums.
5. Entertain and become a star :- This point comes under personal branding and you may get the promotion of your talents in the peoples around the world using some promotional social media websites like facebook, twitter, and youtube will help to show you in demand and after some time your name will get mention as a web celebrity and will get invitations for being a real and live star in the public.
Over to you
I got published this post here only after getting 70 days learning as a blogger but you may be better in sharing your experiences and recommendations to the readers below in the comment section.
There are many softwares (Windows Live Writer, BlogDesk etc) that serve as an alternative for publishing posts on your blog. But do you know that you can use Microsoft Word to publish or even save posts offline?
Getting successful in blogging is a long process and one should be perfect in every ways to make most out of blogging. Many young-bloggers are getting into professional blogging and it’s a big step. Though one rule of blogging is get your basics right. Here is a round up of 5 posts published for bloggers to refine their blogging experience:
7 Ways to sell more Advertisements: Every blogger wants to make money from their blog. Selling advertisement is one of the easiest way to make money from your blog. This post will highlight 7 working ways to sell advertisement on your blog.
5 reasons why you should subscribe to other blogs: Every one around love to read news and reading other blogs give you ample amount of ideas and creativity. This post highlight more reasons for subscribing to other blogs.
ADVERTISEMENT
5 SEO link building mistake: Link building is an essential part of any blog to rank better in search engine. In this post we will let you know few link building mistakes which you should avoid.
8 common mistake every Blogger should avoid: In blogging margin of error is very less. Though for budding bloggers, it’s the other way “ make mistake and learn from these mistakes”. Though in this post Kranthi, share what 8 common mistakes every blogger can avoid to make their blog perfect.
5 Social media websites you should know about: Social media websites will help you to promote your websites to a new audience and also drive traffic to your blog. P.K. Arun shares, 5 most popular social media websites which you should know.
From my experience of blogging, you should read articles related to blogging every day. This will help you a lot to become a better blogger.
Do let us know which blogging topics you liked the most?
Blogger has launched a Template designer in Blogger drafts. Now they are accepting Blogger feature requests and feedback to improve blogger. I think Blogger is really worried about Bloger to WordPress migration and even our own Harsh and rtCamp together have launched Blogger To WordPress Migration Professional Service which makes thing even hotter!!
Here’s the screenshot about how to get to blogger template designer.
