The Blog Revolution: Day 1 – Add Truckloads of Great Content Blogging & Technology by Joel Wagner - May 5, 2008July 2, 20106 Today is the official beginning of the Blog Revolution Project. The plan is to transform your blog entirely from something that simply holds some information to a valuable resource for others. Each day, I will write a brief article, end with a mission. Some missions will be things you can accomplish in a matter of minutes, while others will take a while. Today’s topic is probably the most important, and ultimately should be the mission of your blog every single time you write something. Add great content If you want people to visit your blog, they will need to have a reason to visit. If you want people to return to your blog, they will need to have a reason to return! That reason is in the words and content of the blog itself. Nobody wants to be bored – 5 tricks to trick out your writing Especially in an internet-enable world, nobody wants to sit down and read something that doesn’t capture their attention. These five simple tricks suggested by Darren Rowse can totally transform your writing, without requiring you to actually write any better! The power of titles Before people read your content, they will see the title. Either in the RSS Feed (what is RSS?) on another blog linking to you, or in a search engine. Spend an extra few seconds each time you write a blog post and make sure the title will jump off the screen. Or try your guts out attempting to do that! Read more about titles at Writing Better Blog Post Titles. The viral nature of lists Some of my most popular articles have been lists. Lists are easy to scan, and they just have a power to them. People may disagree with a few items from the list, but overall they seem to agree with much of them. So they are easy and popular to pass along. Read 8 Reasons Why Lists Are Good For Getting Traffic to Your Blog. The importance of being original Honestly, I don’t have a lot of original information on my blog. What I do is present it in an original way. I don’t know of another blog that is written by a band director about teaching. There are a handful of teaching blogs, and a smaller number of band director blogs. But what I do is sort of merge those two worlds. I have a very unique perspective, and I don’t really worry about offending people. Maybe one of the things that makes my blog so popular is because I am very real and introspective. Here are 13 Ways to Create Unique, Original Blog Content. The value of well formatted content Be aware of how to format online content. It’s not the same as written content. Large blocks of text crammed together don’t work well for most readers. Read some outstanding pointers for formatting stuff online at How To Format Online Content For Maximum Legiiblity. The impact of a good image When I started blogging, I didn’t “waste” my time by putting imaged in the posts. One day I was reading blogs in Google Reader and noticed that they all looked the same. But some stood out by having color. I liked that change from the blandness of the other blog posts. I became convinced that images can really make things come alive. I try to have some sort of visual stimulation in every blog article I write now. I use the free resource at http://sxc.hu. Amazing stuff! Also check out Where To Find Free Images and Visuals. See also Don't Quit Teaching...For a more thorough examination of these 5 tricks, please visit How To Write Excellent Blog Content. For that matter, check out all of the links he has on the How to Write Great Blog Content page. Outstanding stuff! TODAY’S MISSION Create a comprehensive list outlining some things that will help your readers be better in a specific area of your blogging niche. If you already have a list post, link to this one. If you don’t, get to work! When I write lists, I try to limit them to 10 or less, unless I am going overboard, then I’ll get crazy. Check out my list articles: 3 Keys To Line Up A Killer Job While Still In School 4 Tip’s For Being Respected 4 Ways To Effectively Deal With Important People 4 Similarities Between Strep Throat And Classroom Management 5 Keys To Educating People 5 Habits of Highly Effective Teachers 5 Surefire Tips For Handling Misbehavior 5 Ways To Win When Children Test Your Limits Top 5 Character Traits Of Great Teachers 5 Blogging Surprises of 2007 5 Tips To Putting The Pieces of Your Life Back Together 6 Motivation Techniques Questions That Will Save Your Career The Honeymoon Is Over: What Killed My First Job And 7 Tips For Getting Your Next Job 8 Methods For Recruiting People Into Your Program 8 Steps To Building A Better Blog 8 Ways Blogging Makes Me A Better Teacher 9 Reasons To Quit Teaching (And 10 Reasons To Stick) 10 Tips To Stay Motivated And Love Teaching I Give Up! 10 Reasons Why I Am Quitting My Teaching Job 15 Tips To Stay Positive 25 Tips For Less Stress 25 WordPress Plugins Every Blog Should Have 47 Blogs That My Readers Are Reading 50 Reasons To Love Your Job As A Teacher 50 Classroom Management Tips I Have Learned This Month 65 Things You Should Do Right Now To Avoid Burnout Can you tell I like lists? Joel WagnerJoel Wagner (@sywtt) began teaching band in 2002. Though he had a lot of information, his classes were out of control. He found himself tired, frustrated, disrespected by students, lonely, and on the brink of quitting. He had had enough. He resigned from his school district right before spring break of his second year and made it his personal mission to learn to be a great teacher. So You Want To Teach? is the ongoing story of that quest for educational excellence.
Thanks for doing this. I spent the weekend working on the look of my blog. Images: check. Original: check (I hope.) Lists: check (but I think a few “n Best Ways to x” posts go a long way. I did one today, but I don’t think that’s me.) Titles: My best so far would be (based on comments) “PowerPoint Is Evil,” “Don’t Click On This Link,” “What Kind of Complainer Are You?” and “Simplify Forms!”
The company which hosts my own blog had two links about improving blogs. Since I don’t know if the comments take html, just cut and paste these links if interested: A blog checklist (things to check before submitting a post) http://www.jenniferslegg.com/2008/04/30/bloggers-checklist-before-publishing/ Best times of day to publish a blog (no wonder I have a low readership!) http://www.editorsweblog.org/multimedia/2008/05/when_to_publish_blog_posts_for_increased.php
I too love lists… Here are some lists I’ve made: (1) Advice on how to get a job in an independent school: http://samjshah.com/2008/04/05/advice-from-someone-on-the-other-other-side/#more-107 (2) Advice on how to interview at an independent school: http://samjshah.com/2008/04/04/advice-from-someone-on-the-other-side/#more-106 (3) Four observations while chaperoning a high school dance*: http://samjshah.com/2008/03/07/school-dance/ (4) A BIG list of advice for classroom discipline and classroom management: http://samjshah.com/2008/03/02/71/#more-71 *Okay, so this particular list won’t help a reader become more adept in teaching, or anything… I just think it was cute.