How to write a good blog!

I found this very interesting article circulated by the Knowledge Management Team of My Company with an intention of promoting corporate blogging. Very relevant to all the fellow bloggers and can be kept as a check list for every blog post we make:

So copying straight from the mail circulated, here are some of the best blogging practices:

 

How can you make sure that people read your blog? Here are a few tips on writing a good blog, and making sure that your readers stay interested.

• Make your opinion known: Be Personal - People like blogs because they are written by people and not corporations. When writing your blog, make sure that you write the way you talk. You can even ask your reader questions. This will encourage your readers to leave comments on your blog, and come back to read more. If you write as if you are writing a formal letter or a business report, readers will get bored and will switch over!
  
• More the links, more informative it is! - Support your post with links to other web pages that are contextual to your post.
  
• Write Less - Give the maximum amount of information with the least amount of words. Time is finite and people are infinitely busy. Blast your knowledge into the reader at the speed of sound.
  
• 250 is enough! - A long post is easier to forget and harder to get into. A short post is the opposite.
  
• Make Headlines snappy - Contain your whole argument in your headline. Check out National newspapers to see how they do it.
  
• Include bullet point lists - We all love lists, it structures the information in an easily digestible format.
  
• Make your posts easy to scan - Every few paragraphs insert a sub heading. Make sentences and headlines short and to the point.
  
• Be consistent with your style - People like to know what to expect. Once you have settled on a style for your audience, stick to it.
  
• Keywords are the key! - Think about what keywords people would use to search for your post and include them in the body text and headers. Make sure, the keyword placement is natural and does not seem out of place.
  
• Edit your post - Good writing is in the editing. Before you hit the submit button, re-read your post and cut out the extra portions that you don't need.