WHO will write it (and WHO will read it)? The best person to write the blog is the person who is most excited about it, Leroux Miller said. Will you have one or multiple authors? Guest bloggers also can help you keep up with the pace. Will it be an official or unofficial blog? For example, if your organization isn't ready to launch a blog but there's a staff member who is particularly interested in blogging, that staff member can start an unofficial organization blog in which he talks about the work he’s doing. Leroux Miller warned, though, that an organization choosing this route must be able to trust the person writing the blog.
Determine who you want your readers to be: current supporters, colleagues, other bloggers, word-of-mouth visitors, search engine visitors, etc. To get your blog out there, register it at Technorati — a main search engine site for blogs — tag content, link liberally in posts, and put keywords in post titles. Leroux Miller also recommended occasionally posting what she called "link bait," a "Top 100" list or other highly desirable content that a lot of other bloggers will link to.
*WHAT will we write about and link to? Good blog content is timely, personal, tells stories and has clear titles and subheads to help with SEO. Stories about what people at your organization are doing, posts on news in your field, resources, tips, how-tos and lists, interviews, and commentary all make for great blog content.
In terms of linking, do it often and be sure you give credit when you get leads from other bloggers and link back to items you comment on.
*WHEN can we find the time to blog? Leroux Miller suggested using some of the time you now dedicate to creating your print newsletter and writing ahead of time. You can write three or four blog posts in one sitting and then post them over time. Figure out a system that works for you getting your posts out.
Blogging Tips, Traps and Tales
WHO will write it (and WHO will read it)? The best person to write the blog is the person who is most excited about it, Leroux Miller said. Will you have one or multiple authors? Guest bloggers also can help you keep up with the pace. Will it be an official or unofficial blog? For example, if your organization isn't ready to launch a blog but there's a staff member who is particularly interested in blogging, that staff member can start an unofficial organization blog in which he talks about the work he’s doing. Leroux Miller warned, though, that an organization choosing this route must be able to trust the person writing the blog.
Determine who you want your readers to be: current supporters, colleagues, other bloggers, word-of-mouth visitors, search engine visitors, etc. To get your blog out there, register it at Technorati — a main search engine site for blogs — tag content, link liberally in posts, and put keywords in post titles. Leroux Miller also recommended occasionally posting what she called "link bait," a "Top 100" list or other highly desirable content that a lot of other bloggers will link to.
*WHAT will we write about and link to? Good blog content is timely, personal, tells stories and has clear titles and subheads to help with SEO. Stories about what people at your organization are doing, posts on news in your field, resources, tips, how-tos and lists, interviews, and commentary all make for great blog content.
In terms of linking, do it often and be sure you give credit when you get leads from other bloggers and link back to items you comment on.
*WHEN can we find the time to blog? Leroux Miller suggested using some of the time you now dedicate to creating your print newsletter and writing ahead of time. You can write three or four blog posts in one sitting and then post them over time. Figure out a system that works for you getting your posts out.