{"id":68,"date":"2008-10-18T12:01:08","date_gmt":"2008-10-18T06:31:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/windchimesindia.wordpress.com\/?p=68"},"modified":"2009-07-25T02:20:16","modified_gmt":"2009-07-24T20:50:16","slug":"blogessentials1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/windchimes.co.in\/blog\/2008\/10\/blogessentials1\/","title":{"rendered":"Essentials of a Blog – Part 1"},"content":{"rendered":"

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I hear people saying that blogging has really caught on. I wouldn\u2019t go that far – possibly the term<\/em> \u2018blogging\u2019<\/em> <\/a> surely has caught on!! A lot of people do start their blogs and then get lost somewhere down the lane. A lot of it could possibly because of the low hits their blogs are generating. I think it\u2019s mostly because some of the essential aspects of a blog are missing!!<\/p>\n

So, it wouldn\u2019t be bad idea to explore this subject more. What we are going to do here is clean up the dust that has settled on the blog, enhance it with few tools and list out few essentials that are a must for each blog!!<\/p>\n

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1.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 First things first. Your blog is your own identity!! <\/strong><\/p>\n

Blogs are a reflection of you as a person. Feel free to write in your own inimitable style. The same rule applies for corporate blogs too. Each brand enjoys a certain personality and character and blogs have to remain true to that brand value.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t worry about being judged. As long as your blog post uses language that is simple and easily understood, there is no right or wrong here.<\/p>\n

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2. Update your blog regularly<\/strong><\/p>\n

Don\u2019t ever forget that writing down your views was the first and foremost reason to start the blog. It takes a certain amount of discipline to run your own blog. Decide whether you are up for it before starting one. Do you think Times of India<\/a> would have been able to retain its readers if it printed the paper just twice a month!!<\/p>\n

\n3.\u00a0\u00a0 Have a neat layout <\/strong>\n<\/p>\n

Most of the blog providers like WordPress<\/a> and Blogger allow users to select their template at<\/p>\n

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\"Different<\/a><\/dt>\n
Different kinds of Blog templates<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/div>\n

the time of registration. Do take your time in selecting a right template<\/a>. Templates come in various colours and styles but most of them are either two columns or three columns. Again here there is no right <\/em>choice but keep certain points in consideration like selecting it.<\/p>\n

Template should be reflective of the nature of content you are going to post online. It must allow the user to read your posts with ease. Have a standard font and font size while posting<\/p>\n

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4.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Provide the subscription option <\/strong><\/p>\n

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\"Subscription<\/a><\/dt>\n
Subscription thru feeds & email<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/div>\n

This is by far the most important aspect of your blog. Feeds. Users who subscribed<\/a> to your feeds get updated about your new blog post the moment you have posted this. It acts like intimation to the user to visit your blog again to read that post. There are standard sites like feedburner<\/a> that allow you to incorporate feeds in your blog.<\/p>\n

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You should also provide the subscription facility through email. A lot of people are comfortable with that option too! It\u2019s important to keep the Feeds<\/a> and email subscription<\/a> right at the top of your blog where it is easy to locate<\/p>\n

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This concludes our first part of the essentials of a blog series. The next and concluding part<\/a> will highlight the other important aspects and features that must be there on a blog.<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I hear people saying that blogging has really caught on. I wouldn\u2019t go that far – possibly the term \u2018blogging\u2019 surely has caught on!! A lot of people do start their blogs and then get lost somewhere down the lane. A lot of it could possibly because of the low hits their blogs are generating. I think it\u2019s mostly because some of the essential aspects of a blog are missing!!
\nSo, it wouldn\u2019t be bad idea to explore this subject more. What we are going to do here is clean up the dust that has settled on the blog, enhance …<\/p>\n

Continue Reading<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":[],"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[8,9],"tags":[780,64,71,98,136,142],"class_list":["post-68","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blog-visibility","category-blogs","tag-blogs","tag-email","tag-feeds","tag-nimesh-shah","tag-subscription","tag-templates"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t