Campaign Against Rude Bloggers - And A Call To Action

A short while ago, I had a blinding flash of guilt. When I started this blog, I barely knew what one was.

I started it because a blog seemed a quick and cheap way to diarise my thoughts, and possibly help out people like me who had gone through something as stressful as a business liquidation.

The Bloggers Club - We Don't Notice When We Join, And We Quickly Forget Our Manners

A blog is interactive. It thrives on comments from visitors. Forgive the quick explanation, but a blogger is someone who writes articles on their own website (or blog) or as a guest writer on others. And a blogger knows how to submit a comment.

But how many people stumbling on a blog know this? Do we quickly get inducted into the bloggers club and forget those who don't know?

How often do even bloggers struggle to find the comments link or button underneath each article (hereafter referred to as a "blog post").

Join Me In A Campaign To Educate Non-Bloggers - How About A Standard "Autosignature"

I wrote a whole section on my blog - see the "About You" section a little further down - which explains that comments are welcome and describes how.

But what about ending each blog post with a standard phrase which assumes the visitor doesn't understand blogs?

So what should we include to educate non-bloggers? How about this list:

1) A short statement, briefly defining blogs and their interactive nature

2) Guidance, relevant to the layout of your own blog, about where to find the comment link and what it looks like

3) An explanation of what to complete to have their comment accepted - remember, entering a URL is not essential, and many non-bloggers will not have one and potentially be put off commenting if they don't understand

Here's an example of what I mean:

This is a blog. A website that thrives on interaction from every visitor including you. Your comments are welcome.

Depending upon how you arrived at this site, you will see either 'Posted by Ian Denny 23:00' followed by a 'Comment' link you can click. Or you will see comments already made and/or a link you can click with the text 'Post a comment'.

To add your comment, I recommend you choose the "Name/URL" option. You can then use your own name, an alias or a nickname. If you have your own web-site, you can add this too if you like so people seeing your comment can click to visit it - enter your address in the URL box. Or leave it blank.

A bit too long do you think? Perhaps. But a non-blogger may not know these things. I'd love to hear ideas - particularly any which can achieve the same thing in fewer words, and without any jargon!

How Else Are We Rude?

Some of us have a niche topic for our blog. Some niches are narrow. Some are very wide-ranging. Either way, I have had my wrist-slapped by one fellow blogger, and she is so right.

I don't include as many links to other resources on the same topic.

Now my angle is very narrow. I have spoken about my busines failure in an attempt to help others. But the niche is quite wide if you also include small business advice.

To put that right, I need to refer my target audience to other blogs which can help them.

Givers gain. If you do to others what you would have done to you, you will benefit. It's rude not to help your visitors find valuable resources elsewhere. And particularly to those who do not immediately recognise or understand they are reading a blog.

So, For Bloggers And Non-Bloggers Alike, Here's 3 Great Resources

I want to help struggling, failing or failed businesses. And while I can share my experiences, there are many more who can help. I recommend you find blogs as they cut out intermediaries and charge nothing for their wisdom.

Because the topic of this article (or to use the jargon, blog post) is how rude we are as bloggers, ignoring those who may not know what one is, I have chosen 3.

Two of them talk about blogs and social media, but the first is from Cath Lawson who gives great small business advice. Her strapline is "Bold Advice For Business Success" and this post grabbed me as required reading on the topic of outsourcing:

The Pros And Cons Of Outsourcing (click these words to read her article)

The second is from Barbara. She gives great advice for both new and experienced bloggers. And I liked this article in particular as it's a great personal story in its own right.

It talks about how people are a little backward in coming forward at first when they read blogs. And the importance of asking for help in what is a very supportive worldwide community all are welcome to join:

Stubborn Blogger Wouldn't Ask For Help (click these words to read her article)

And finally, still on the topic of blogs, I had to include Maki from Dosh Dosh. I've only been across there a couple of times myself, but mainly on recommendations from others. And so far I've never been let down.

Any struggling business, or anyone wanting to develop their career can benefit from the article I recommend. He talks about establishing a blog as a home-base for either yourself or your business.

It's a fantastic article which goes on to chronicle the steps you can take to engage with the right communities, establish a brand, and publicise your work. He uses a case study of someone wanting to establish themselves in the art world:

How To Use The Web To Build A Powerful Reputation In Any Industry (click these words to see the article)

For Current Bloggers Only

Should we agree a standard blog-post signature which educates and encourages participation from those uninitiated in the blogging world? Should we ditch our tendency NOT to link to other valuable resources?

I can understand why many don't - fear of driving traffic to potential rivals. But surely visitors appreciate and remember the source of the referral, and this is more likely to build audience?

So in the spirit of this blog-post (I mean article!), please add your comments. In particular, what would your auto-signature be? Can you shorten mine and still retain the clear guidance? Or perhaps mine wasn't clear at all, in which case I'd welcome feedback.

I am now going to change my posting template to include my autosignature. So please tell me if you like it or have better suggestions!

Engage in active debates, find other small business and blogging resources - subscribe in a reader (top right) or receive these articles by email so you don't miss out by forgetting to come back

Enter your Email





Preview Powered by FeedBlitz

If you found this useful, please help other people find it by hitting the "StumbleUpon" button here: