A Beginner’s Guide to Blogging
For the past four months, I’ve been writing a health and fitness blog as part of my freshman English class. Until recently, however, I was oblivious to the seemingly endless world that is the blogosphere. I learned that there are blogs popping up daily on almost any subject you could imagine. Be it educational, political, pop culture, or the bizarre, each genre maintains its own culture, values, and voice. I choose health and fitness because it was a subject that interested me and I felt that I could offer valuable insights into the community. I call it that, because blogging truly creates a society of its own. This sense of community comes from the common interests of bloggers and a mutual sense of respect created by following the “rules” of the blogging community. I’m writing today to help those interested in blogging to learn these rules and how to become a part of this world-wide network. Blogging can be a fun and exciting experience, connecting people across the globe and making the world feel a little bit smaller.
First, let me introduce you to my community. Health is a complex concept that incorporates the mind, body, and spirit. Those who choose to write about health and fitness undertake the challenge of writing about a lifestyle. It is an idea that is wide-ranging, diverse, and often controversial. The health and fitness community as whole focuses on helping readers to reach their common goal of creating a healthier lifestyle for themselves.
One of the most important steps in creating a blog is forming and maintaining a clear goal for your writing. Many bloggers create a mission statement to help potential readers understand the intentions of their blog. When developing your mission statement, think about what you value most. Yet, do not forget to consider what others in your community value. It is acceptable, and at times necessary, for bloggers in a community to disagree. However, being accepted into the community means sharing or, at the very least, respecting the values of other health and fitness writers. It is also important to clearly state what you do not intend to include in your blog. For example, I chose to create a blog that equally covered all aspects of health and fitness. Part of my mission was to provide readers with factual information combined with my own personal experience to help them reach their own fitness goals. What was most important to me was to promote health as a lifestyle. Therefore, I clearly stated that I would not be including any articles promoting diet pills, fad diets, or other unhealthy methods of weight loss. Providing readers with a mission statement help them to get to know your voice and understand your views.
As I stated earlier it is important for readers to get to know and like your voice. Your voice is the personality you portray throughout your writing. In the health and fitness community, it is important to be knowledgeable. However, remember not to sound too dry or factual. Reading your blog must be enjoyable. Furthermore, always be true to yourself. If you try to write in a voice that is not your own, readers will be able to tell and will not trust you. Be consistent, but flexible. An article on breast cancer would not require the same tone as a post on the benefits of belly dancing. I try to keep a good balance of factual and personal posts. The personal articles will help readers form a connection with you and keep them coming back for more. I’ve also learned that showing venerability, even if it’s just on occasion, is important. Readers can’t connect to perfection, because no is perfect. Sugarcoating your personal experiences will only create a sense of distrust. In addition, try to make factual articles as interesting as possible. Breaking up an article on the health benefits of rollerblading with a funny antidote about your clumsy first attempt will keep readers interested and connected to your writing.
If you want to hold readers attention, you have to keep your topics new and exciting. Be sure to write posts about what readers are interested in right now. The fast paced world of the internet has created an audience with very short attention spans. Update often and keep it current. If Beyonce just produced a new booty shaping workout video, review it as soon as it comes out rather than waiting a week. Readers will respect you and stay interested if you’re the one posting the latest and greatest news. At some point, writer’s block is inevitable. It happens to the best. If you’re lost for what to write next, surf the web, read other people’s blogs, or thumb through some magazines. My favorite source for ideas is health magazines such as SHAPE or Fitness. Be sure to always give credit where it’s due. If you include any outside information on your blog be sure to state the source and, if possible, a link to the site where you found it. We’re not talking MLA format here. A simple, “As stated in a recent study by the American Heart
When you finally sit down to write, it’s important to find a writing process that works for you. For me, it’s important to come up with a fantastic topic sentence that will really catch the reader’s attention. After that, I try to let my imagination flow and write until I cover everything I wanted to talk about. It’s important to keep your writing concise and always stay on topic. A whole paragraph describing the taste and texture of the Power bar you ate after your run may lose your reader’s attention. Finish with a strong conclusion and any last thoughts or advice. Give it one last read through and then post it. This process may not necessarily work for you, so find what does and stick to it.
The most important advice I can give about blogging is to enjoy to topic you’re writing about. The minute it stops being fun, you should stop writing. If you don’t love what you do, it will show through your writing. You’ll be surprised by how much you begin to care about your topic and the audience you’re writing to. Enjoy the experience of blogging. We are fortunate to live in a world where we can all be so connected. We should all take advantage of this opportunity and learn from each other’s experiences. If you reach out and truly get involved in the blogging community, I guarantee you’ll enjoy it. Happy blogging!
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