My 5 Suggestions For Writing Better Blog Posts

January 18, 2012August 28, 2018 / Ally Bean / 13 Comments

Even though I’ve blogged off and on since 2004 [read more here], I’m not sure that I’ve ever written about how to write a blog post. When I first stumbled upon blogging years ago nothing like this list existed. Back then blogging was all trial & error, but eventually I figured out how to write a post that was understandable & interesting. Now, of course, advice on how to blog is EVERYWHERE. Which got me thinking that maybe what I’ve learned might be of value to someone. So, without further ado, I give you…

My 5 Suggestions For Writing Better Blog Posts

[from www.thespectacledbean.com]

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1. Have a thesis statement for your blog.

this is vital. you need it to help keep you grounded as you write each post. without it, you’ll flounder and your blog will go nowhere.

2. Be specific.

details, baby! tell us exactly what interests you and why. show us how you did something. explain your point of view. i’m not talking about being wordy, here. i’m talking about presenting your life in a clearly defined way that tells us about you.

3. Write each post with one or two people in mind.

pretend like you are writing– or talking– to one or two people who you know care about what you have to say. tell them your story, and don’t worry about what anyone else will think of it. you can’t please everyone, so you might as well focus on the few people who will appreciate what you have to say.

4. Give your readers something to say “YES” to.

can’t emphasize this concept enough. readers engage with you because you are sharing ideas & experiences that ring true with them. they want to talk about things, and it is so much easier to comment when there is a way to say “yes.”

5. Make it stylish.

each individual post must look inviting and polished on its own. you need to become familiar with all those little buttons in your text editor that allow you to do jazzy things like bold, italic, font sizes, font styles, font colors, text placement, image sizing. effective communication is much more than a string of words on a page.

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Weekend This & That

January 16, 2012January 16, 2012 / Ally Bean / 14 Comments

{january – monday – early morning}

√ I’ve been making small tweaks here on my blog since the beginning of the year. Have you noticed? Over the weekend I think that I finally got each of my posts entered into the proper category where each post belongs. Now instead of Monthly Archives I have a list of 7 Categories where you can find all of my past posts. By category. Obviously.

√ We started putting together our traditional winter project, a jigsaw puzzle! Years ago after seeing an episode of Northern Exposure where a married couple had a fun time putting together a puzzle, we decided to give it a try– and found that doing a puzzle was a harmless distraction from the winter gloom. So now every winter we do ONE puzzle. Yes, I know– not the most high-tech, cutting edge thing to admit to doing. But it’s fun.

√ I tried a new recipe for cupcakes that uses Blue Moon beer. The cupcakes were good, not at all beer-y– but not orange-y enough to make them interesting. I made some notes on the recipe and will try it again later this winter. I think some clove and more coriander are in order. Maybe a drop of orange extract? If I ever perfect the recipe, I’ll post it here. If.

√ We did a test on the stair railing to see how difficult it would be to strip the old stain and varnish off of the railing and posts. Our conclusion: not difficult at all. But because of the fumes and mess involved with this project we decided to postpone it until late spring when we can open the windows for ventilation. Plus they’ll be more daylight then– which can only help us see what we’re doing. Always important.

My Daily Dose Of Spam

December 12, 2011May 6, 2021 / Ally Bean / 19 Comments

Want to get more comment spam on your blog?

Well then may I suggest that you post a quiet little tale about an evening at an Italian restaurant and a visit to the zoo. A post like this one that I wrote on Friday, for instance.

And for good measure, in your blog post be sure to mention Bourbon + uppity sheep. Because, apparently, it’s this combo that gets comment spammers interested in your sweet little bloggy.

Or so it seems.

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To me the fascinating thing about comment spam is that some of it is rather thoughtful and pleasant. As if someone I know really cared about what I had to say and then took the time to post a comment.

I could watch Schindler’s List and still be happy after reading this.
Great hammer of Thor, that is powerfully helpful!
Unbelievable how well-written and informative this was.
So that’s the case? Quite a revelation that is.
You put the lime in the coconut and drink the article up.

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Pity spammers aren’t sincere because what blogger wouldn’t enjoy seeing such unique comments underneath his or her blog post? Makes me wonder why comment spammers do what they do.

My guess is that they are clever and misguided individuals with too much time on their hands– looking to make a quick buck [somehow?] from someone else’s work. Not really my type of people.

But you have to admit that sometimes they’re kind of funny.