Blogging 101: The Top 15 Things You Need to Know as a Blogger

I really enjoy learning, and especially learning things that I can share with other people. My mom says that's because I am a teacher at heart, and maybe that's the case. I don't feel like you have to be in a classroom to learn. In fact, our motto for our home school has always been, "non scholae sed vitae discimus" which means, "We learn not for school, but life." The philosopher Seneca penned those words thousands of years ago and they still ring true.

All of our life is about learning, and we can learn a lot from the people around us. This is why I reach out to the experts when I have the desire to learn. While I wouldn't consider myself a blogging expert, I have had the opportunity to reach out to people who are. The following things I learned at a panel discussion a few years ago, and I thought their advice was invaluable. So, I am passing the information on to you.

The following information comes from the notes I took from the panel "Blog Much" featuring David Halperin, Steven H. Wilson, Sharon Stogner, Brandon Blackmoor, and John Hartness.

Basic Blogging Information

Get your own domain name.

Keep your blog layout simple with clean lines.

Use a light background with dark type.

Baskerville Font is a great one and has been called the most believable font, but any serif font should be good. Don't forget about Times New Roman!

Never use Comic Sans for your blog.

Websites that work best use the same styles that you would see in a book publication.

Always use Alt Text for images.  Just fill out the blanks.

Post at least 3x weekly, preferably once a day. But, don't over post.

You can register your blog as a business.

Link to other sites.

Use original and meaningful content.

Beware of people peddling SEO information, "It's like snake oil.

Important for Personal Blogs

Don't criticize your place of employment.

Don't reveal too much personal information.

Assume EVERYTHING you write will be read by someone, and probably by the person who you would least like to read it.

Don't forget there are creepy people on the Internet, and NEVER argue with people on the Internet.