There are no hard and fast rules about how to blog. Yes, there are guides. There are six-figure bloggers who provide tips and ideas about being a successful blogger. There are general etiquette practices that bloggers tend to follow. But the truth of it is that the most successful bloggers are the ones who find the way of blogging that works for them regardless of what they’ve been told works in general.
And as blogging as grown to such huge proportions, bloggers have found that there are some common beliefs about blogging that they just don’t agree with other bloggers about. In fact, Problogger had a great post recently listing 29 Debates Bloggers Have. This simple x vs. y list shows that there are not only no clear cut rules for blogging but actually totally opposing beliefs about a lot of blogging methods.
One example given in the article is whether you should have descriptive titles or keyword-focused titles for your blog. Either way can work depending on what you’re seeking to do, who your audience is and what type of blogger you are. This isn’t the only title debate either; bloggers even debate whether you should have short titles or lengthy titles.
This is what makes blogging great … it’s very personal, very individual. You can blog in the way that is right for you and find an audience of like-minded people who like your style. You get to be yourself. And really, there’s no debate that that’s the best way to be a good blogger.
The “Rules” That Bloggers are Debating has 2 Comments
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February 15th, 2010 at 3:17 am
I dislike any blogging rules. I like blogs as a personal expression platform, and rules just limit what you can and can’t say. I agree that the most successful bloggers are the ones who don’t follow “rules.” The bloggers who have gotten book deals from their blogs have not been conventional, SEO bloggers. They take their passion and run with it,
October 9th, 2010 at 2:22 pm
Great article here, such a wealth of knowledge.