Protect Your Post from Careless Errors
Blogs have become one of the most popular forms of media in recent years. Anyone with a computer and an Internet connection can now publish his or her written material. Blogs are easy to access, easy to create, and often easy to read. Unfortunately, the simple nature of blogs and blogging often breeds a careless mindset when generating a post. Individuals are often too caught up in the thrill of their story or opinion to properly edit or proofread their piece. Our editors at Scribendi.com have compiled a short list of tips in order to help the average blogger optimize his or her posts and get the most out of his or her online publications. Follow these tips and your messages, thoughts, arguments, or ponderings are sure to be well received.
Proofread your post
This is easily the most important step in generating worthwhile blog posts. There is nothing that renders a blog useless faster than a post riddled with careless spelling mistakes. As blogs are often statement or opinion based, it is likely that the blogger is trying to make a point or convey an argument of some sort. A blogger could make the most profound statement of all time, only to have it torn apart in the comments section by readers who are quick to point out that he or she used 'there' instead of 'their.' Always go over your post several times to ensure that you've removed every grammar or syntax error you're capable of finding, and your posts will improve tremendously.
Edit for context
Are you a professional? A politician? A pro wrestler? Or just an average Joe looking for a creative venue to vent your frustrations about everyday life? A CEO should not use the same language as a schoolgirl, as their readers are from vastly different walks of life. Your blog post will say a lot about your personality, so be mindful of your tone. What's more, when you're publishing things online, anyone can find your entry and read it. Take your personal context into account in the editing process: remove any language or thoughts that you wouldn't want your boss or co-workers to read. Conversely, if your post is aimed at fourth graders, don't use terms suited for university graduates.
Fact check
Editing your blog for truth is a necessity. Although the Internet does not require citations and references, nothing will affect your readership more than blog posts filled with obvious lies and false statistics. You should edit your posts to remove outlandish statements masquerading as facts. Again, it is important to assess your facts in relation to the context of your blog; a humor blog is more likely to exaggerate events in order to get a chuckle, but if your genre doesn't call for outrageous antics, edit them out. Fellow bloggers tend to be a tough crowd, and if you're constantly spouting lies and false truths, your credibility will forever be in question.
The shorter, the better
Internet-savvy folks may be familiar with the term TLDNR, which stands for "too long did not read." TLDNR is used to quickly and efficiently communicate that a blog post's length is far too long to attract potential readers to even begin. Who wants to read a 46-page blog post when they could potentially get the same information on Twitter in 140 characters? This leads directly to our final tip:
Remove the rambling
Steady, unrelenting, coffee-induced stream of consciousness ramblings worked for Jack Kerouac and the Good Doctor Thompson, but in the blogosphere, these instances of verbal diarrhea tend to draw negative comments or even result in a loss of readership. This goes hand in hand with the TLDNR concept, as readers will get lost in incoherent blathering or unnecessary instances of verbose declarations. Edit the language of your posts to remove redundancies; your readers won't frequent your blog for long if they can barely understand what you're talking about.
Make your blog a must-read
These are just a few examples of how a thorough edit and proofread can potentially improve your blog. If you want people to read, or continue to read, your blog, then you must ensure that what you are writing is not only worth reading, but is plainly readable. Try applying these five steps to your next post and keep an eye on the comments section; chances are your feedback will be more about the content of your post than any grammar or stylistic errors. If you're not sure you've got what it takes to properly edit and proofread your own post, that's ok! Submit your entry to Scribendi.com for a critique. A second set of eyes is always helpful when it comes to catching errors.
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