Here are a few things that new bloggers need to keep in mind:
Blog posts are ephemeral.
If you are going to post frequently, then many (MOST) of your posts will be forgotten. Although it is important to craft your posts thoughtfully to create good content, you will not write the perfect post every time. I really only feel fantastic about a post once every 3-4 weeks. It is just impossible — and not even really expected — that you will turn out something great all the time unless you’re Wally Bock… but he is a professional writer and 63 years (and a half) years old and my bet is that only one person reading this post will meet that criteria (Hi, Wally!)
Let your posts rest a bit before you put them up.
Please believe me when I tell you that I understand the urgency you feel about posting right away. You're creative; you blog because you want feedback about your ideas. But your work will be better if you let it rest and come back to it after some time. You will have new perspective when you reread it later. Try reading the post aloud because doing that will help you catch awkward phrasing or misplaced words.
Use an editor.
Having someone else read your posts is helpful. I have two colleagues who read each of my posts before they are published. Their careful reading helps me improve both the content and the technical aspects of my writing. Your editor doesn't need to be a paid professional, but if you choose a friend, you want someone who is not afraid to offer helpful suggestions. You need more than just a “this is great” even though that is nice too.
Try not to overanalyze or worry about your posts.
The most important thing is to just write another post and continue on. There really isn’t time to fret about something once it’s been posted and read. People really read more for content than writing, anyway. Think about it… what posts are you drawn to? My bet is that it’s ones that have content that resonates with you in some way or teaches you something. Of course, there needs to be some level of skill with the writing, but not perfection. Plenty of so-so writers have excellent, well respected, and widely read blogs.
If you are a seasoned blogger, what other advice would you offer? If you are a new blogger, what other topics would you like to see addressed here?
