Since I am new to blogging, I’ve been doing a lot of research on the subject and there is just so much information out there. For this week’s module, I am supposed to research best practices for blogging and describe how my industry employs those best practices. Well, I did research best practices and it seems like there are hundreds of articles on the subject, and most of those articles are written
by bloggers! Go figure. Are these all industry experts? Am I an industry expert because I have a blog? Any Joe Schmoe can have a blog and call himself an expert. How do I determine whose best practices are the best, best practices?
Well, I ended up finding a few tips that weren’t on a blog that seemed worthy to share and one that was from a blog that I liked so I’ll share that too.
Here’s one- Ask questions and seek opinions (Jantsch, n.d.). As a recruiter, I really like this one. It’s what I do. I ask A LOT of questions. I feel like I interview everyone I meet. Ask my husband, that poor soul. Sometimes I ask so many questions when we’re watching a show that he finally has to say, “I just don’t know! Stop asking me so many questions!!” It’s kind of funny, actually. As you’re blogging, asking someone for their opinion and feedback is only going to enhance your content and open up the dialogue. So I give this one a major thumbs up. 
Here’s another- Credit Your Sources ( Amber, 2014). Now this is obviously a common sense point. You want to give credit where credit is due and also make sure you’re not plagiarizing. Thumbs up on this one too.
This brings me to my third and favorite best practice. This one made me chuckle. It’s from The Tao of Twitter by Mark Schaefer. He’s obviously referring to a Twitter best practice but the same can be applied to blogs as well. He suggests that you Be Yourself. He said, “There is no reason you can’t be yourself, unless you are a naturally mean and sucky person. If you are in that category, you have to either not be mean and sucky or not use Twitter” (Schaefer, 2012). How true and funny is that? You can’t be mean and blog. Well, technically you can, but you probably won’t get that many followers, unless…. they’re also “mean and sucky”. I guess that if you find a lot of “mean and sucky” people to follow you, your blog could potentially be very successful. Hhmmm…Funny how some things can really make you think. Things that make you go, Hhmmm. (flashback to the early 90’s).
I think all of these tips should be employed by everyone and not just one particular industry. As I continue with my blog and research and learn from others, I’ll be sure to incorporate as many best practices as I can find and really try to not be “mean and sucky”. What are some of your favorite best practices you employ?
A. (2014, October 26). Blog Series | Blogging Etiquette and Best Practices ⋆ Forever Amber. Retrieved July 15, 2016, from http://www.foreveramber.co.uk/2014/10/blogging-etiquette-best-practises.html
Jantsch, J. (n.d.). Let’s Talk. Social Media For Small Business. Retrieved July 15, 2016, from https://www.ducttapemarketing.com/socialmediaforbusiness.pdf
purplish squirrel 
Really impressed with all the information you have gathered, working through so many opinions and blogs can be very beneficial as they represent an experienced professionals opinion, but they can also be extremely time consuming. In the past I have had the pleasure to work with individuals from a variety of different backgrounds an I have learned that while everyone has experience and opinions, you have to selectively filter and apply these opinions in a way that makes sense for what you are trying to accomplish.
When I began making my own salt I had various levels of either support or laughter, I decided that I would seek out positive advice and try to block out the negative. This isn’t to say that I ignored it, I just didn’t focus on it. I think that in your experience you must run into the same varieties of feedback and advice, I think that like creating a salt company, you need to find out what works best for you and focus on that, blocking out the bad.
Great luck to you and I look forward to seeing what else you learn!
LikeLike
I liked your idea of asking questions. Even if you are an expert in your industry, there is room to learn from someone else. For me, the most helpful best practice from The Tao of Twitter was the idea of Authentic Helpfulness. Schaeffer (2014) commented “Think of the social web as a dinner party. If somebody only talks about himself, his business, and how great he is, you’re going to want to get away fast” (p. 77). Whether is it a company or individual posting, if the posts or tweets only focus on their business or their personal accomplishments, it is a real turn off for me. And if your only purpose on your Twitter is to get followers … it’s time to leave. Followers, readers, and likes, measured only in numbers, is thinking short-term and a waste of your time (and theirs). Complimenting and supporting other people will go a long way. Followers, friends, and readers generally “…interact with friends and people who treat them like friends instead of’ targets’”(p. 78).
The other practice in the Tao of Twitter was to balance personal and professional. This can be a difficult but important aspect of any social media tool. Schaeffer (2014) is not in favor of having two accounts. Instead, he suggests “ When networking, the most powerful friendships are built on trust and friendship, so it’s OK to let people know a little bit more about what is going on in your life, including your love of sports, charity, and family” (p. 128). While I never really thought about it, the people I follow generally embrace both of these best practices.
Schaefer, M. W. (2014).The Tao of Twitter: Changing your life and business 140 characters at a time. New York: McGraw-Hill.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Eileen, as usual a good blog. As you can probably tell I am new to thos whole blogging thing. But I like your style and your information. In my research I cam across some interesting thoughts put out by people blogging on blogging.
The vast majority, even our text, Google +, emphasized content. But Brogan went further and stressed the actual sharing and what it meant to us as bloggers. On pages 128 and 129 there is some insight to this. I can see his point. Another repeated suggestions was passion. I do not remember where I saw this, more than once, but it struck me as being essential also. Good Job.
LikeLike
Eileen,
I enjoyed your blog post this week and your focus on blogging best practices for people who aren’t ‘mean and sucky”. I am also a novice blogger, only exploring the topic as we work through our course topics learning as we muddle onward. I was particular interested in your final paragraph around being oneself, what makes this interesting to readers who may follow your blog? What is so captivating about a common person, what is their reputation without knowing their background? All of these play into the learning models we are discovering such as ones application of ethics. If a person is truly “mean and sucky” does it become evident in their blog therefore highlighting their unethical stance?
Are people following bloggers due to their lack of ethics? I have to believe some followers are looking for the ‘mean and sucky’ to follow. For instance what about pop culture and the many entertainment blogs reporting false and controversial topics; Buzzfeed, Daily Dot and Coed Mag all look to bring the dirt of celebrities forward, unethical at its best. So is there in fact a line that people straddle when it comes to ethics and where they will follow?
LikeLike
You’ve put together a nice list. The one that stood out to me the most was, “Ask questions and seek opinions”. I think this is one many people may skip over when they start out blogging, perhaps they feel they have to do it all alone but as you have mentioned this will enhance one’s content. Seeing the value in asking questions and seeking opinions would have to be the driving force behind someone actually taking these actions. I am just thinking about the last few blog post that I have published and I didn’t think for a moment to ask someone their opinion or thoughts. Also, with the blog post that I have written in the past they are usually in the moment. This would be a good step for someone researching a topic maybe even interviewing, not to say it can’t be used otherwise.
LikeLike
You and I are both new to this whole thing I take it? I like the idea of using blogs to communicate and I appreciate your following lifeisbeautiful494. I am mel and I hope that after this class ends here this week we can continue and help each other out. I am going to be blogging on “pot pourri,” as Jeopardy says, and see if I can generate a little extra income. Thanks again for following me . Mel
LikeLike