Blogging methods that work

I came across this post on blogging methods that work. Basically, its all about what makes an effective blog .. ermm .. effective :)

Matt has some interesting points. No, i am not going to repeat them. You can read them for yourselves. I would like very much to add to them. I am not as good as Matt, but i am sure going to try:

1. Write simply - Yes, that's right. This is not an official CNN report or a new release being circulated by some organization. A blog is very much personal. What makes people relate to it is that its in the kind of language they speak or hear around them all the time. That leads me to my next point. A good example is this post by Kumiko from Tokyo.
   
   
2. Write Local yet global - The great thing about the internet is that today its being read by people all over the world. Though they all read/write English with a varying degree of confidence, the best way to drive home a point is to use references that are local to the point you are making. Yet it has to be put so that anyone, no matter where they come from, can understand it. For example, when describing a new recipe - don't assume that everyone reading will know the ingredients with the same name. Try providing alternate names or even links to wikipedia so that the reader can find out more if interested. I suppose this corresponds with Matts point - Interlink everything.
   
   
3. Spell Check - Do i need to say why? You are being visited by people who love to read. How tolerant would you expect them to with your spellings?
   
   
4. Listen to your readers - use a traffic trackers. There are many free ones out there, i use Blogflux mapstats. The less intrusive the better. Ideally look for ones that can show you how your visits found your website and which page did they land on. This is very critical as it will tell you what your readers were looking for when they came to your blog (see mine). If you realize that a particular topic is of interest both to you and your readers - then you know what to write about!
   
   
5. Make your website search engine landing friendly - Assuming that you already are trying to make your website appear on popular search engines, this is what you need to do next. What does a reader see when he/she lands at your blog? Are their meaningful links that make him want to read further? Focus on those sort of things.
   

I know this is not something new, but these are some of the points that i have learnt over the time.

And yes, You may note that i have not posted anything on making money with blogs. That's because i don't blog to make money!