Sunday 22 March 2015

Sunday Showcase: 3 Blogs to Help Your Blogging!

This week has been very busy.  Alright, Saturday was busy, so I didn’t get around to planning anything for this week’s edition of Sunday Showcase.  But hey, now I have a brand new MacBook Pro to help me with my blogging!  My other laptop was just too slow, and trying to find pictures took FOREVER.  

We don’t want to take forever.  We want the ability to do the right thing the first time when it comes to blogging.  That’s why I wanted to feature blogs that provide tips and tricks for the newbie blogger.  I picked three again this time, and if you read my first Sunday Showcase, you’ll recognize one of them.


1.  Sue Anne Dunlevie at successfulblogging.com


Sue is dedicated to getting you set up with the ultimate blogging experience.  She found me on Twitter last week, and I’ve been following her and reading up on her blogging tips ever since.  She’s also approachable, and will get back to you if you contact her.

One of her blogs, “16 Rules of Blog Writing and Layout,” is a must-read.  In it, she details some of the fundamentals of blogs, such as using headings and subheadings, using lists, and keeping paragraphs short to cater to readers’ needs.

She has several others worth reading as well.  “21 Experts Reveal Their Biggest Risk That Paid Off” highlights several professionals whose experiences challenge and inspire newbies like myself.

If you’re just starting out or have any trouble with your blog, give her a shout!

2.  Matt Banner at onblastblog.com


I’ve mentioned Matt before, but he’s worth mentioning again and again.  It’s not just his writing style that’s attractive.  So are his how-to articles on blogging.  I mentioned “How to Start a Blog” and his 151 blog post ideas for my first Sunday Showcase.  This time, I’d like to highlight his how-to on writing the perfect blog post.

Let me tell you, it is one long read!  But every bit of information is useful to the newbie blogger…except for maybe the 2000 words suggestion.  Seriously Matt?  Heck if I could write something that long.  Ain’t nobody got time for that!  (Unless I cut out all the time I waste searching my Facebook and Twitter feeds.)  Alright, I guess I’ve got a LOT to learn if I ever plan to be successful at this whole blogging thing.

All joking aside, this post takes you through the steps for writing a blog.  Want your post to catch someone’s attention?  Write a smashing headline.  Don’t know how?  Matt will, and with clear concise examples.  Headlines aren’t the only attraction to this perfect post, so I suggest you get reading it to find out more.

3.  Daily Blog Tips at dailyblogtips.com


Links, links and more links.  That’s what this blog contains.  If you ever wanted detail upon detail about how to blog right, this site is for you.  I stumbled across this page when I was browsing Matt’s blog just now, and since I like to keep these showcases at lucky number three, I decided to add it to the list.

There’s one post in particular I’d like to point out, and that’s the list of 101 blogging tips.  The nice thing about these tips is that they’re short, concise, and easy to skim through.  This post is one of the many that stresses getting WordPress.  (Notice how I don’t use it.  That will change as soon as August roles around, assure you.)  WordPress has a plethora of blog templates to choose from, and if you’re looking for something professional, Daily Blogging Tips has a blog to help you out.

Another useful tip that I don’t do (and should) is leaving comments on other peoples’ blogs.  If you want to get comments, you’ve got to be a commenter.  And not just “Oh wow!  This is so true!” or “Amazing!”  Leave constructive comments that either answer the call to action in the post or your experience/opinion on the topic.  This is something that I want to get into the habit of doing because it means a lot to me when people leave comments on my blog.


Hope you liked this week’s Sunday Showcase.  What are your blogging tips?  Are you an expert and want to add your name or the name of someone you admire to the list?  Let me know in the comments.

7 comments:

  1. I like that your link roundup has a theme each week, smart!

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    1. Thanks, Robyn! I like the themes, too. Keeps things focused and simple so I'm not scrounging for articles every week.

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  2. Not a expert, after three years I am still learning. Thanks for the info. I always need help.

    http://csuhpat1.blogspot.com/2015/03/march-madness-womens-1st-round.html

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    1. Hi Patrick! Thanks for dropping by. Glad to know it helps a number of people, even the ones who've been at this blogging business for a while.

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  3. Thanks for the tips on where to go get tips.

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    1. No problem! Thanks so much for taking the time to comment! I really appreciate it.

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  4. Thanks +Kellie for this great help and this might help my blog.

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