Bloggers Buzz

On a quiet news day in the blogosphere I am sitting in a cafe with the faithful laptop working here and thought everyone writes about when to post, how to post, what to include in a post. Sometimes however you read a post and think why did they post that? So I offer to you tips on when not to post:

1. Never post when you have nothing to say. Lets face it, with few exceptions there is nothing more annoying than reading one of those posts where the person is just filling in space because they think they have to post no matter what. Do it too often and you may find people growing bored with your blog and stopping reading.
2. Never post out of spite. There is the old saying that goes along the lines “if you don’t have anything nice to say then don’t say it” and with few posts on a professional blog no one wants to read a post tripping with venom, especially if that’s it. The on going spat between the partners of Rockboom Amanda Congdon and Andrew Baron over Amanda leaving/being fired is a classic example and boiling down to a case of “he said, she said …” that is ugly and forcing people to take sides while not serving any positive effect for anyone
3. Never post under the influence. You don’t drive when drunk so why post. Reading a professional blog I want professional writing, not a disconnected poorly written post and while its annoying in a personal blog to read a drunken post, in a professional or business blog its unacceptable. Its all about the image that you are conveying to your readers.
4. Never post something that you believe to be untrue or likely to be true. Getting away from the possibility of legal issues the most valuable asset you have is your credibility, loose that in one ill-advised post and it will be a constant issue you need to overcome
5. Unless you have an exceptional reason, try to avoid posting on topics outside of your usual topics. Reading several business blogs last week they were taking the time to condemn the North Korean missile launches. It may be a worthy cause but there is the time and the place for everything and that’s not it.
6. Don’t post when its likely to offend people. Remember you are writing for your entire audience and they come from a wide range of backgrounds and beliefs. Your professional blog is not the place to such discussions. This can also include humor, always avoid “blue” or racist humor as its likely that a section of your audience isn’t going to enjoy it.
7. Always proof read your work before you post it. Spelling mistakes, typos and grammar are important not only for what they do, but also what they say about you.

So there are seven reasons for when not to post. I’m sure that there are many more that could be suggested. What do you think? Got more that you can offer? Let me know!

Greg

Tags: blogging, tips