I think I'm lazy... or just spend too much time reading.
I get on here and read a ton everyday. I write a lot too - not just on here.
What I feel is that sometimes I'm in a rut with the blogs I read. I love all my new friends: Renee, Ines, Cyndee, Karen H, Karen G, Jeff B, Maggie, Chris G, etc... and I sorta like Matt Blum...
But I am finding it hard to read outside of my comfort zone. I think to myself what makes me stick to these people and their posts.
After exchanging some pleasanteries with some new ActiveRainers I might have figured it out. I had to go back to Jeff Turner's YEO post It's not about SEO it's about YEO... and really brush up on this YOU ENGAGING OTHERS idea so I didn't stray too far off course.
I want to say it isn't just YEO... it is YEO-ing with STYLE.
You can write a GREAT and ENGAGING blog piece and LOSE me in an instant without some style.
- Pictures are great...
- Bolding words are fantastic
- Links to everyone and their mother help too!
But what am I talking about? FORMATTING.
I challenged someone recently - a newbie. He wrote a great post but it was in the old 3.5 essay style. That's is great for book reports and prose... but well... not Blogs! It engages academics but who are we kidding!? If we wanted to TEACH we'd be doing it!
Instead, I told him he needed to BREAK THE RULES...
HOW? Well - what I do is what you're looking at right now... and you'll see it in all great posts.
To illustrate in reverse - go back to what I said previously about 3.5 Essay style. What is it? well... it is a standard that is supposed to teach you how to write a THESIS. If I wanted to read a Thesis, I'd be grading papers right now instead of typing to you folks.
3.5 is a recipe for ... 1 part Introduction, 1 part Bullet Points, 1 part Proof and 1/2 part summary and conclusion. That's the ESSAY... typically you actually do 3 paragraphs in the middle so it isn't really 3.5 but whatever.
a 3.5 Paragraph is the same - Intro sentence, Tell me where you're going, support it, and end it. Voila.
But that doesn't do much for tired Internet Eyes in the middle of the night or before we've tapped a keg of Coffee.... Why? It looks to congested - too close together for our eyes. Even Magazines don't do it! They put things in neat little columns.
Know why? Because it is easier to read! It is also easier to ENGAGE someone. Think about it... when you were a kid and had a reading assignment - you'd check how long the chapter was before you read it. SCORE! 10 pages... or OH NO 30 pages! And you'd procrastinate on that chapter, no?? DON'T LIE TO ME
You know you did it!... and guess what!? You're doing it now! You're doing just what I do... looking at a screen full of letters and pulling a Homer Simpson -...words words words words...
So what's the solution? Spread things out. Shorten paragraphs. Shorten sentences. Cut off some thought pattern just enough to let people think they're reading a shorty.
You're not writing a Novella - you're blogging.... Enjoy it... and let US enjoy it. All those Pros I mentioned before do this... except maybe for Matt B.
Remember to KISS Your Blogs... KEEP IT SHORT AND SWEET and Write it like you're writing for a 10 year old! and then us "Pros" will read on!
My 2 cents...
Comments(15)