SORRY FOLKS BUT I CAN’T ALLOW COMMENTS HERE

I can’t allow comments here because I want this place to be an organised, brief (yeah, sure!) collection of hints and tips for students of Alex Jeffreys. I recognise that many of you have incredible talents – talents that I do not have. But I’m sure that I have knowledge that I can offer too. We all can.

I will add to this list of topics AND within the topics over time to help you all – so CHECK BACK regularly.

THIS TOPIC – The “Art” of Blogging:

I have been asked a LOT of questions both in my blog and also via personal email about why my blog has become so big so quick and also why it is so popular. Well, let me give you a few hints and tips on that…

I’ll start with this – what is a blog all about?

A blog is a social interaction point where people can come to either read and leave or read and then feel inclined to participate. It is a knowledge repository and exchange. People leave information and others respond. Some just read, take what is on offer and then leave. That’s perfectly OK.

What is NOT OK is to get into a slanging match. Differences of opinion always occur but that is best left settled behind the scenes in private via email where the whole world doesn’t get to see what I call the “dick-headery” displayed by the proponents of the dis-agreement. That’s a Gary-ism and there’s plenty more where that came from – LOL (Sorry… but I will make you suffer a bit…)

Anyway, let’s get into it…

How to Blog Effectively:

1 – Be nice – nobody will come and respond to a grumpy-bum or a bigot or a bigshot who just wants to crap all over everyone with their “superior” knowledge. Everyone has superior knowledge in certain things. We can’t all be experts in everything. So, be nice and yes… have patience with those who have inferior social skills.

Like I said, you can always take somebody aside and smack them upside the head if they cross your threshold of decency or start to abuse others. But do it privately otherwise opposing camps will form and KABOOM – all out war erupts. I have seen this on SO MANY blogs and forums outside these walls (ie in so-called “HELP” – yeah! forums where buzzards and seagulls show off and stroke their own massive egos).

2 – Continuing on from above – be helpful. If someone has a question then it’s my fair understanding that they took time to ask it because they’d like an answer. Duh! That is just plain simple.

How many times have you ever sent somebody an email that you DESPERATELY wanted an answer to and it either gets completely ignored or a reply comes back that makes you none-the-wiser. Answer questions.

3 – Write INTERESTING topics. Ask a few questions to get the ball rolling. Interact with people. ADD to the information as you go. Don’t just do a massive brain dump up front that doesn’t allow anyone else to have their 2 cents worth. Tease out the conversation exchange.

4 – Tell a story here or there. Quote references or experience that you may have. You can even tell a bit of a joke BUT, if you are the blog owner, try to keep the thread ON SUBJECT and don’t go overboard.

5 – Thank people for coming. Thank people for their wisdom or advice. Some people who will come to your blog will be doyens of knowledge. You want them to come back again? Yeah? Really? Then, THANK them. Saying thanks is not hard and it is so appreciated.

6 – Here’s a biggie… why would anyone want to come to YOUR blog if YOU don’t add value to THEIR blog. Why do you think so many people come to my blog? I’ll tell you why… because I have been to their blogs and introduced myself and invited them back to what I call Gary-Land. And I have helped them or offered advice. Duh! It ain’t hard. And… I like to think I give great value to their topics by sharing my knowledge (and sometimes, actually… make that often… my ascerbic wit – LOL!)

7 – Don’t just go to a blog and say something totally inane that makes others think… WTF? Build a relationship with the blog owner and ADD VALUE! If you detect a “theme” for the blog then use your imagination to “characterise” yourself when you are there. Some blogs are just so funny that people are going there for entertainment value.

8 – Having said that (point 7)… BLOG OWNERS… “WARNING! WARNING! Danger. Danger. Will Robinson. Danger” – don’t ONLY clown around (Incidentally, in case you are not of my vintage or beyond – that was the robot from the TV series “Lost in Space”). A BIT of humour is great and everyone appreciates some light-heartedness but, like I said before, don’t go overboard. What are people seeking? Information first, entertainment second (or maybe the other way around) and to feel comfortable third. If they get one and two they will just leave. But if they get three they will interact.

9 – Another don’t… DO NOT, I repeat DO NOT steal somebody else’s comments or persona or whatever without permission. Just don’t do it. You will notice that whenever I “carry-on” a joke or theme I always give attribution. Here’s a silly example… Dean Holland uses the word “PEEPS” for people. I pi**ed myself laughing when I first saw that. And I have been using it a little bit here and there… coz I think it’s funny (maybe that is just me – dunno). But you will see that most often when I use that term I will say, “As Dean Holland would say…” or I chuck his name in brackets after it or I add to the humour by saying something like, “a term used by Dean Holland…” (Doing that gives ANOTHER person – other than YOU – credibility and it builds rapport.) GIVE CREDIT.

Believe me… if you “steal” something off someone else and you get sprung you will look like a dork! People will think “…Duh – he/she just stole that off X…” Then you will look like that person who Feargal Sharkey sang about all those years ago… “Yo-oou little thief!” See? I just gave attribution and credit. I practice what I prattle on about… usually.

10 – Reveal little bits and pieces of yourself here and there. I call it “peeling the onion.” Don’t drop your whole friggin’ life story right up front. No-one has the time to read that – fascinating as YOU may think the subject is. If you are really so enamoured with your life and life experiences then test the market and publish an autobiography and see how many sales you make. Understand?

Finally, give and seek freely of yourself but balance the two. If you are a constant taker then people will get tired of you very quickly. Conversely, if you are a constant giver the takers will keep taking until your well runs dry then they will move on to drink elsewhere.

I hope these notes will help you. Happy blogging bloggers!

Regards

Gary Simpson

PS: If you liked this topic then please tell others about it or LINK to it. You can always leave a comment, if you so wish, at the “HINTS & TIPS” page on my main blog page.

MORE INFORMATION MAY BE ADDED HERE AT MY DISCRETION…