How I Blog: Thom Singer
This is the tenth post in our “How I Blog” series. To read the rest, visit the archives. Interested in participating? Drop us a note about ‘How I Blog’ along with a photo or yourself or your blogging space at tips [at] blogmedia [dot] biz.
Thom Singer, Author, Blogger.
In the past year of writing my blog I have come to learn the importance of regularly adding fresh content to my The Some Assembly Required Blog. With a busy job, a book to promote, and a young family….time is something that I rarely have to spare.
Blogs that are not updated three to four times a week become stale. I do not return to blogs that do not have regular posts every 48 hours, and I will often remove blogs from my blogroll that are stale. People expect new content, and I feel a strong duty to deliver something new. Regardless of if I get 40 hits or 400 hits in a single day, as long as somebody is reading my blog, I owe it to them to keep posting….or I should shut it down.
I write my blog posts in the early mornings before my wife and children wake, or I write them on the weekends. I often will write two or three posts at one time and save them as drafts to be edited and posted at a later date.
I have three goals with my blog. 1. To write informative posts that will educate my readers. 2. To promote my book and public speaking (I am not shy about this reason. Some in the blogosphere think it is a sin to have a commercial product associated with blogging, but I disagree….my book and my blog are both extentions of a topic I feel is important). 3. To link to other blogs that can provide useful information. Bloggers who do not site other’s content or do not have a blogroll are takers. Being a taker all the time is just a bad way to live. Life and life in the blogosphere is about give and take.
I try to keep my posts short, but sometimes I cannot help myself. I try to write them fast, and then go back and edit them before they go live on my sight. I have found that if I allow my thoughts to flow out onto the page, and then later correct my spelling and grammar, that I get much more profound posts than when I try too hard to achieve perfection.
I love comments and emails from my readers, and take the time to always answer them (when people leave an email address). I hate anonymous comments, as I think that to create real dialouge people must be willing to use their real names. I wish I could get more interaction and interactive with my readers. I am working on that issue.
Finally, blogging has become a way to clear the cobwebs from my head. Before my blog I used to be more unfocused at work and at home. The dedication to the blog (and trust me, to post 4 days a week takes real dedication) has made me better in everything I do in my life.
Thom Singer is the author of “Some Assembly Required: How to Make, Grow and Keep Your Business Relationships”. He blogs at thomsinger.com.
