Today’s little post will be a bit of a review of some of the topics we have discussed about a Beginners Blog. Mostly, it will probably come across as a bit of an editorial. We are going to talk about some very common mistakes that beginners make on their blogs.
I mentioned in a post sometime in the past that it is a good idea to use Social Sites to not only brand yourself but to also start to network with people who have an interest in your topic on your blog. In some cases you gain a nice new friend or two and in other cases you at least get some desired traffic to your blog. It is in this context that I got inspired to write today’s post.
On one of the social sites that I am active on, I encountered a nice person who has a real passion for something that I also have a passion for. He is new to the concept of Social Networking and even newer to blogging. He has picked a topic that just sort of automatically gets some attention and causes people to comment when he shares one of his blog posts. I give him an A+ for that, although I have a feeling it was more beginners luck than having researched his topic. His enthusiasm is engaging.
As I said his topic is also something that I have a passion for so I was immediately drawn to his first shared posts on the network. Now, here is where the teacher in me kicks in. I want so very badly to reach out to him and give him some pointers. There is no way to contact him privately on the network and there is no way to contact him privately on his blog. To me that is one of his first common mistakes. No way to contact him. Now I realize that most of us don’t want every Tom, Dick, and Mary to have access to our e-mail accounts but there are ways to set-up a page on a blog that doesn’t have to use your primary email account.
Another common mistake he is making is posting too often on the network. That is going to turn some people off real fast. It might also be better for him to leave comments on other people’s shares or at least leave some “likes” or “+’s” or something. That is part of building those relationships. A give and take sort of process. He is probably feeling really good about his “success” with getting followers and comments at this point. (I would be!) However, he will be scratching his head in a month or two wondering why no one bothers anymore.
The next common mistake I have observed is his use of images. Those really are what is generating his followers to comment. Here is the problem. Not one of them is given any credit and since I am nosey enough to check…just about every one of them is a direct copyright violation. Ooops! That is going to come back and bite him big time at some point. He seems like such a nice guy and I am sure that he just doesn’t know any better.
On this beginner’s blog there is another really bad mistake, very little actual content as far as words go. Lots of pictures (used without permission) but not a lot of words to go along with them. Nothing for a search engine to pick up on and spit out in a result page from a search. Yesterday’s post had NO WORDS, nada, zilch…just images. That is why I am here today with this post. You see, I think this guy has some real potential to have a really great blog. It has potential to get lots of attention on a Social site. Dog gone it…IT HAS GREAT POTENTIAL! He could even earn some money on it with the right ads and links to products. Oh my heart is breaking! Oh I want to help him. Ohhhh, I can’t contact him!
About Bev Owens
Yep, Bev, we all make lots of mistakes as beginners. I know that I made my fair share. And we shouldn’t be afraid to make them.
However, with just a bit of a turn of how he is doing things, the person in your example could benefit so much more.