The blog that I chose to analyze is The Yoga Blog and can be
found here: http://www.theyogablog.com/.
I think that this blog does a great job at providing relevant, up-to-date
information to those interested in the practice of Yoga. Blog posts here are
constantly updated and include information from sources such as Yoga magazine
and PBS. While this blog does have advertisements on the side, its primary purpose
is not to sell products to the reader. I do not feel bombarded by
advertisements when visiting this blog, which often turns a lot of people away.
I believe that the top 3 best practices for creating an effective blog are:
1.)
Keep the blog up to date.
a.
If I visit a blog, and the most recent post is
4 months old, I immediately lose interest in reading further. Information
nowadays is updated in real-time with technology all around us. In order to
stay ahead of the latest trends, I want to read a blog that is constantly
updated and on top of things as well.
2.)
Choose fonts/backgrounds that are pleasing to
the eye.
a.
Many blogs I came across were unattractive
because of their large and obnoxious user interfaces. While colors are
appealing to a certain extent, too many crazy colors and fonts can be a turn
off. A lot of blog reading is done on smart phones, so writers should also
consciously use fonts/colors that are compatible with mobile technology.
3.)
Do not make your site “salesy”.
a.
Advertisements are a big turn-off for people.
People are marketed too all day long with junk e-mail, side banners, etc. The
last thing they want is to be flooded with more advertisements when they’re
trying to read a blog at their leisure. I used to visit a blog on a daily
basis, until a Progressive Auto Insurance advertisement would play for 30
seconds before I could continue to the site. I would suggest that a blogger
keep his or her blog as ad-free as possible.
While all of your best practice techniques are good ideas, I particularly liked the one mentioning to keep a blog up to date. I complete agree with you. Part of the reason that readers lose interest in blogs is because they are not up to date. In fact, the blog that I chose to analyze has not been updated for a month, and it has been something that has been frustrating for me (Adams, 2012). Readers do not want to constantly keep seeing the same old post when they visit a blog, and although I did not mentioned that in my post, I definitely think that it is something that should be considered a best practice for blogs. How often do you expect posts? I would say at minimum once a week would be ideal. What do you think?
ReplyDeleteReference:
Adams, A. (2012). Lucykate crafts. [Weblog] Retrieved from http://lucykatecrafts.blogspot.com/p/about_15.html
I agree that keeping a blog up to date is extremely important. It is very easy to lose interest in a blog that is not reporting on current information. This is true if the author of the blog is not adding to their content. Also, it is important to work on a blog so that it is aesthetically pleasing. People lose interest when they aren't looking at something that is attractive and user friendly. I think this is true for blogs and all other websites.
ReplyDeleteHi Cathy,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you and Krista when you say that it is highly important to make sure that all blogs are up to date and relevant to the audience targeted. The esthetics of the blog is also very important because audience members are very visual and it must be pleasing to the eye for audience members to pay attention and want to return to the blog for future posts.
Hi Cathy,
ReplyDeleteI agree with your best practices; especially the one about keeping the blog up to date. I, too, will not continue to visit a blog that is not updated frequently. The yoga blog that you highlighted is a great example of how a blog should look and interact with the audience. The articles are relevant and diverse. They have a mix of instructional, humor and interest pieces. Great example!
Best,
Nina
Catherine:
ReplyDeleteI agree, it is so important to not have a "salsey" blog unless, one has a blog that reviews products or is promotes specific items. Then having a blog with a lot of relevant advertisements may be useful to its readers. A lot of times blogs run into trouble if they have too many advertisements or if they suddenly post advertisements when they have never had them before. (Rowse & Garrett, 2012).
Reference:
Rowse, D., & Garrett, C. (2012). Problogger: Secrets to blogging your way to a six-figure income. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.