Mistakes student bloggers often make

The first time I taught a special topics social media class (shout out to the WOMmers who still read this blog), I asked them all to start a blog on the topic of their choice. Midway through the semester, I realized that they need a lot more guidance than just that, and since then I've noticed lots of other student bloggers making many of the same mistakes that group made. Here are some suggestions to help keep student bloggers out of trouble.

Don'ts for student bloggers:

1. Don't discuss multiple topics in one post. First, it makes your posts too long. Second, it messes with a search engine's ability to find your post. And third, it's confusing for the readers.
2. Don't delete posts or change the content of posts. If you need to make a small change, like correct a typo or grammatical error, go ahead. But if you're changing the meaning or correcting a major error, make addition to your post (marking it as an update), strikethrough words or phrases that were incorrect (so readers can see what was changed), or write a new post and add the link to the old one (so that readers who come across the first post can go to the second).  
3. Don't post when you're angry or upset. It's great to be passionate about your topic, but if you're really mad you might say something you regret... and I just told you you're not supposed to delete posts later. Save it as a draft and look at it again the next day. 
4. Don't start promoting your blog too early. You want to make sure you've settled on a niche and found your voice before you start inviting the world to stop in. 
5. Don't resort to the sweeping generalization just to attract attention. I used to just roll my eyes, but now I call it out in the comments when I see bloggers doing this -- "all PR programs suck," "all women do this," "no one does that," etc. Please. The world is not that simple. Either you think it is, or you're just trying to get everyone to visit your blog: is that really how you want people to see you? 
6. Don't quit. Don't worry, I'm not saying you have to blog for the rest of your life. But you do need to have an exit strategy, rather than just letting your blog die a slow death by neglect.

  Any other "don'ts" for this list?
  

Comments

[kaye sweetser]

Excellent list, Karen!

You covered all the big stuff, so I'll add a comment that really gets in the weeds.

Don't Tweet a link to every single blog post you write. It's okay to point out something special you might have posted, but when it comes to daily reading of your blog - people who are interested in every single update will subscribe to your blog. It's just annoying to see people Tweet all of their blog posts. (Again, it's okay to Tweet the really good ones now & again, just not every single one).

Don't think that creating a blog makes you an expert - overnight. So you have your niche, say Sports PR, & you created a blog to talk about it. Great! But one or two blog posts does not an expert with street cred make! Take time to develop your blog (like #4 above) & people will begin to see you really do have something unique to add.

Again, great list Karen!

[Mike Driehorst]

For some other don'ts, what about:
Don't forget to include images and other types of graphics. Great copy is what will attract and retain readers, but pictures help sum up a point you make. They also nicely break up the post. (Flickr is a great resource, but don't forget to include credit.)

Don't forget a blogroll, even if only brief at first. A blogroll adds value to your blog, and can attract readers (those you link to will likely check out your blog).

-Mike

[Honza]

I would like to expand on your advice concerning promotion. It is pointless to fill the blog with ads from the day one. It detracts readers and devaluates the perceived quality of content. Author's credibility suffers as well.

On a more organizational note, many bloggers, especially the newbies, have problems with frequency of posting. It pays off to state how frequently you are going to post. The best places for that are the "About" page, or the homepage.

[Jessica]

I love this post! I started my blog half way through my senior year and am continuing to develop it after graduation and this is very helpful. While the topics have evolved as my life as evolved, I've tried to stay true to what it was when I started it.

If I were to give a recommendation (Dr. Sweetser will love this), it would be to set up Google Analytics for your blog. It's so easy and user friendly, and I think it's so cool to know who is truly interested in what you have to say. While I personally started my blog to learn more about social media and get a hang of the whole blogging thing, it was still nice to log in to Analytics and see that I actually do have way more readers than I would have thought!

[Tiffany Gallicano]

This is a great list. I'd add, "Don't leave your claims unsupported." I like to see evidence for arguments bloggers make. Teaching the Toulmin model can be an effective way of addressing this problem, as well as problem no. 5 on your list.

[Karen Russell]

Good additions to everyone. Thanks for adding to my list.