Five Common Challenges in Blogging and How to Overcome Them

Five Common Challenges to Starting and Maintaining a Blog
And how you can overcome them
1

OVERVIEW OF PRESENTATION
Benefits of Blogging
What a Blog Is NOT
Five Common Challenges
Blogs to Get You Started
2

THE BENEFITS OF BLOGGING
Improve your search engine rankings
Provide meaningful insight to who you are
Establish yourself as a thought leader in your field
Build a stronger network
Increase opportunities for professional development
3

WHAT A BLOG IS NOT
A place for rants and raves
A replacement for offline efforts
A monologue
A tool for everyone
4

COMMON CHALLENGES
“ I don’t have anything to write about!”
~Narrow topics/themes based on passion, expertise, audience, and goals
~Read and engage other blogs in your field
~Start with smaller posts
Resource: Choosing topics for your next blog post
http://www.problogger.net/archives/2008/08/14/how-to-choose-a-topic-for-your-next-blog-post/
5

COMMON CHALLENGES
“ I don’t have time to write!”
~Be consistent
~Diversify the kinds of posts you write
~Use other forms of social media for presence
~Do multiple posts at once
~Schedule posts ahead of time
Resource: 6 ways to constantly produce quality blog content
http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/6-ways-to-constantly-produce-quality-blog-content/
6

SAMPLE BLOGGING SCHEDULE 7 Plot on a 30 day calendar and pay attention to themes and events that may alter this schedule. Type of Post Type of Content Frequency Tasks Required Interview ~Young social change leader ~Thought leader 1x/month ~Generating list of potential interviews and questions related to their position and interest Recap/Review ~Events ~Resources 1x/month News/Notes ~Interesting links 2x/month Guest posts ~Issue affecting young people in public service ~How-Tos in social media, career development ~Events or Resources 1x/month ~Criteria for participation? ~Contacting people for involvement Editorials ~Issue affecting young people in public service ~How-Tos in social media, career development ~Events or Resources 1x/month ~Staying on top of events/issues ~Blocking out time to write

COMMON CHALLENGES
“ I’m not going to have any readers.”
~Make it easy to read and share
~Participate in or start blog related projects
~Market your blog
~Link to your work and the work of others
Resource: 19 tips for increasing traffic to your blog
http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/19-tips-for-driving-traffic-to-your-blog/
8

COMMON CHALLENGES
“ How will I know this is worth it anyway?”
Set up tangible measures for yourself based on personal branding goals
~Professional opportunities to speak or consult
~Retweets or shares of posts
~Connections you make offline
Resource: The Journalist’s Guide to Maximizing Social Media ROI http://mashable.com/2009/12/02/personal-social-media-roi/
9

COMMON CHALLENGES
“ This technology is way over my head!”
~Choosing a platform is mainly about personal preference
~Play around but start small
~Free online tutorials
Resource: Blog basics for beginners http://www.blogbasics.com/beginner-tutorials.php
10

BLOGS TO GET YOU STARTED
Nonprofit.alltop.com
Individual Public Service Bloggers
rosettathurman.com | nonprofit and social justice leadership
http://www.rosettathurman.com/2010/06/32-nonprofit-philanthropy-blogs-written-by-people-of-color/
blackgivesback.com | philanthropy
beth.typepad.com | social media and technology
createquity.com | art and social justice
joannejacobs.com | education
The Art of Blogging
Problogger.com | http://www.problogger.net/how-to-write-great-blog-content/ | http://www.problogger.net/archives/category/31-days-to-building-a-better-blog/
Menwithpens.com
11 Want more? Look at the links/blogroll sections of these blogs!

CONTACT
Allison Jones
-----
social media | social justice | millenial leadership
http://www.allisonj.org
[email_address]
12

Five Common Challenges in Blogging and How to Overcome Them

by Allison Jones on Jul 14, 2010

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Five Common Challenges in Blogging and How to Overcome Them — Presentation Transcript

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