At last, my amazing blogging prowess has been validated.

Last week, I was asked to speak at an informal seminar/discussion-thingy on blogging. I think that's how they advertised for the event, with fliers saying "Come to our informal discussion-thingy on blogging!" No, not really.

In any case, I was one of the speakers on Monday night, and I proudly touted the merits of having a "fun blog" (a "Flog," if you will). The other two speakers are the authors of more serious blogs dealing with politics and Christianity, so my little spiel was...hm, well, it was different. Especially considering that my last post was about sweat, and their most recent erudite posts tackle pressing intellectual and social issues of our time. So I was present to throw a little something extra into the discussion, like the cracked black pepper that you accidentally add to a cake mix. What, you don't do stuff like that? I don't believe you.

Anyway, I was talking to some people after the thingy and I discovered that I have tips for blogging. Tips that I did not get to share with my captive audience. And I don't want anyone to miss out on some good free advice. So here are my five tips for bloggers:

1. Get to the point. Yeah, sometimes I have trouble with this one. But the fact of the matter is, most people don't read long blog posts. Something about having to scroll...and our fingers? Just too weak. And our eyes? Just too tired. (Pass the french fries and the extra large chocolate milkshake.) Most people like shorter posts that they can glance over and decide whether or not it really is worth reading.
2. Consider a pseudonym. If you decide to post under your actual name, set some boundaries for yourself. A blog does not have to be the E! True Hollywood story about your life. Consider the fact that, if you use your full name on the blog, people will be able to Google you and read whatever you write. People like your grandmother. Or your boss. Or your little brother. Or your pastor. So just don't write anything you'd be ashamed of. That's a pretty good rule. Keep in mind that the Internet is open to anyone with a functioning computer and one functioning finger...maybe even less than that, these days. So don't post it if you aren't OK with everyone and their grandfather's sister's brother-in-law looking at it.
3. Use spell check. It's right there on the toolbar, people. You have got to be pretty self-absorbed to think that people will slog through bad writing just to read what you have to say. Yeah, grammar rules are more relaxed on a blog, but don"t go ArouND; putting "crazee punctuation' and! misppelld wurds...allover, the place? It's distracting.
4. Don't take yourself too seriously. Many of the most widely-read blogs are "Flogs" (see above). Too many posts on the way you feel about the state of the world today, and your readership will be in the toilet. If you want to blog for your family and closest friends only, that's one thing. But if you want an expanded readership, you need to expand your content. Allow yourself to write about feeling-related junk occasionally, but don't let it dominate your blog. Internet strangers aren't that interested in your deepest feelings. Unless they are creepy Internet strangers.
5. Read other people's blogs. Reading good content is the quickest way to get used to the type of voice and style you want to use on a blog. Link to the blogs you like from your blog. Comment on the blogs of other people. This will help you build those strange but somehow satisfying blogging relationships. And when you do that, other people will link to you. It's a never-ending cycle of fun. Unless your blog is crap, in which case, people probably won't link to you. Sorry.

There are my tips. Hope this can tide you over for the next few days...I'll be out of blogging range for awhile. Look for an update in the next 10 days or so. In the meantime, check out Susan's cooking blog (new link over there on the right) and whip up something nice and yummy in the kitchen. Or read some of the thought-provoking and/or HI-larious content on Lori's blog. And of course, there's always Heather B. Armstrong, the blogging world's Mick Jagger. (She's like a rockstar...what did you think I meant?) Just amuse yourselves while I'm gone. When I come back, I'll amuse you some more. I consider my blog a public service that way.