Tips for Better Blogging

Here are some random thoughts I might pass on to a teacher who wanted to start blogging:

• you have to make blogging enjoyable or you won't do it for long. 

• don't worry about being right -- make the purpose of your blog about learning and growing. If you end up changing your mind about something, be open and honest to others and yourself.

• decide how often you want to post. I might suggest starting with one post per week. Remember they don't have to be long. In fact, some of the best blog posts are rich on quality and relatively short of quantity.

• consider using Twitter to share your blog. Here's why.

• try your best to not care about how many visitors your blog gets. It takes a long time to get any kind of traffic. Paying attention to traffic too early and too often is likely to dissuade you from blogging. Remember that you are blogging mostly for yourself -- your learning. Blogging and sharing for others is ubiquitous.

• be sure to link to other people's stuff in your blog and then make them aware that you have linked to them. This is a great way of connecting with others via Twitter or e-mail.

• I would recommend not monetizing your blog. Keep advertisements and the desire to profit as far away from your blog as possible. Blogging is about learning and sharing. Try not to get distracted from these objectives with profits and popularity.

• consider bringing colleagues in on your blogging. Perhaps influence someone else to start their own blog and work together.

• when done well, blogging and tweeting can become one of the most powerful professional development tools because your learning shifts from something done by distant authorities to you to something you create for yourself.