Method 3 of 3: Maintaining Your Blog

1

Try to blog every day. Even if nothing of note has transpired, it's important to set aside time to blog. Getting in the rhythm of blogging can be difficult, but pretty soon you'll be doing it by instinct: Like the first day of school, it may be a bit awkward at first, but you soon make friends and grow comfortable in your new environment. 

    Think about special themed days when posting. If you wanted, for example, you could have "Maniac Mondays," where each Monday, you blog about one person whose crazy ideas changed the world. This lends your blog some structure and helps keep you writing, even when you're not exactly sure what to write about.

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2

Keep posts short. If you're having trouble writing, keep your blog posts short. A blog can be different from a diary, expose, or news article. It's meant to be digested quickly, to offer interlocking pieces of evidence and tie them together concisely. Keep these three guidelines in mind when you start blogging: 

        A blog can be a place for reading. Jot things down quickly rather than write extended essays on them. A "Hey, look at this!" seems to be a lot more effective in blog form than a "And these are all the reasons why I'm better than you."

      ·         Use links. Link out to other interesting pieces of content out on the web. For one, it will help you remember interesting sites that you stumble across. Second, it will save you the time to paraphrase what's going on — unless that's what you're trying to do!

      ·         Revisit old themes. Just because you've already written a blog doesn't mean you need to file it away in a musty place. Revisit your feelings about that article in a new article, for example.

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3

Use first letters of names when writing about others to maintain anonymity.For example, "E made me very mad today; I've had it up to here with his selfishness." This ensures that no feelings will be hurt should someone stumble upon your blog.

4

Be truthful. Feelings do not always make sense! Fortunately, they don't have to. All that matters is that your emotions end up blogged rather than expressed as an ulcer. Remember that your blog exists only as an outlet for you. You don't have to worry about pleasing other people if you don't want to.

    Often, you'll find that writing about something helps you understand it. So even if you don't quite understand it yet, being truthful about it can help you figure it out. Writing is an act of self-discovery. If you're truthful when you write, you're sure to discover things about yourself that you didn't know about.

5

Learn from your posts. Once you have blogged for a while, go back and review. Have you learned the sources of stress in your life? Can you identify any running themes? Is a particular person toxic to your emotional health?

6

Interact with your community of readers and commentors. Even if you are anonymous, your blog may still be enjoyed by readers and commentors. Often, they leave a comment underneath your article expressing praise, opinions, or questions. Successful bloggers understand that interacting with these fans of your work is an important part of spurring readership.

         Respond to most, not all, comments. Often, a reader will leave a comment urging you to keep on writing. A simple "Thank you, appreciated," might be a good way to respond. Other times, people will ramble off-topic or express very controversial opinions. It is not necessary to respond to each and every one of your commenters if you don't wish to. 

        ·         Include a call to action at the end of a post (optional). Obviously, if you don't intend to show your blog to other people, a call to action is unnecessary. But if you enjoy the thought of soliciting the opinion of your readers, include something like "What was your favorite Christmas present?" or "What do you think about the Federal stimulus?" in an appropriately themed post.

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     7

Share your writing with close friends and family. The people closest to you care about your thoughts and feelings. Although you've probably started a personal blog as a placeholder for your own thoughts and emotions, it can be powerful to share those experiences with other people. What you're doing is starting a conversation, and conversation can be enlightening, uplifting, and powerful.

      For example, maybe you've just been given a diagnosis of cancer and decided to start a blog to document your journey. You only intended for it to be seen by you. But what you grew to understand as you started writing was that sharing your deepest fears and desires actually brought you closer to the people around you; it made you more human. Sharing this realization with your close friends and family can be incredibly freeing.

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Other steps...

  Method 1 of 3: Choosing Your Blog

 Method 2 of 3: Getting Started

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